Key Master
by Writer-of-many-subjects
Summary: Winter thought that her life was great, until her house burned down with her mother and brother inside it. Now she lives with her Aunt in Domino city and things couldn't get weirder for her. Wait, it just did. The spirit from a puzzle is possessing her new friend and it's not even the strangest thing she's going to see? She's going to have one hell of an adventure isn't she?
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Yugioh, just my OC. Please enjoy! AU ending for this series is imminent, you have been forewarned. Hopefully, this was written well, I'm trying to work on my third person Point of Views let me know if anything stands out that can be fixed! I would really appreciate it. This ended up being super long. I don't think any of the other chapters will end up being 10k+. If they do oh god, it's going to take a while for these to come out.**

* * *

Chapter 1: _Pyromaniac_

* * *

"I refuse," a quiet voice stated.

A woman with long, silky, black hair puffed out her cheeks in annoyance at the teen with extremely short, black hair. The teen stared at the woman with blank hazel eyes. The woman gave a sigh before studying the pale face of her niece. She couldn't help but take note of the gauntness of her pale face, and the bandages that covered the tips of her fingers and traveled to the middle of her forearms. Her dark eyes saddened before she sighed.

"You have to wear the uniform," She stated, "the female uniform is mandatory."

"Why's the skirt so short?" Her niece shot back, eyeing the orange blazer and lime green skirt with a slight look of distaste, "Are the men at this school sexist?"

"No," she replied, "you can always wear leggings underneath it."

She narrowed her eyes at the small smirk that tugged up at the corners of her niece's lips. She knew exactly what she was thinking. She gave the dark-haired girl a glare and the teen gave a blank one in return.

"The leggings cannot be patterned," She informed her niece in a blunt tone, "I better not be seeing any skulls or marijuana leaves!"

"Of course, Aunt Sachiko." The niece replied, rolling her eyes and finishing off her toast.

"You better listen, Winter!" Sachiko growled.

Winter rolled her eyes before rising from the dining room table and walking out of the room. Sachiko sighed and nursed a cup of tea as she thought back to the day before. Her brother-in-law had dropped his daughter off without even a warning. She didn't really mind since she liked her niece, but the reason behind his coldness was horrifying, to say the least. A candle had fallen over and set the house ablaze, along with her sister and her nephew who were still inside. The town even blamed her for the incident, which was ridiculous in her opinion. After all, Winter had rushed into the building to get her baby brother and mother.

Winter came back down the stairs and Sachiko let out a quiet squeal at how adorable her niece looked with the school uniform. She wasn't surprised by the black leggings that were worn under the lime green skirt. She noticed that white gloves had been put on. Winter brought a hand up to move her hair so that it would lay somewhat flat and Sachiko could see the burn scars scattered across her wrist. Sachiko felt her mood dampen a little at the memory of how bad her hands looked.

"Is this acceptable?" Winter asked, startling Sachiko from her gloomy disposition.

"Well, I wish you still had those lovely long locks," Sachiko teased, "but the short hair really does look nice on you."

"Thank you, Auntie," Winter responded, smiling softly before it fell from her face.

Sachiko didn't let her sadness show at that and perked up slightly as she handed over the bento she had made for the teen. Winter was pulling on her nice leather school shoes and Sachiko could see her little sister as the teen looked over herself for anything missing. Sachiko smiled as Winter picked up the bento by its black cloth wrappings.

"Remember," Sachiko started, "Try to make friends. I think they'll do you a world of good."

"I don't need friends," Winter stated, a dark expression passing on her features before returning to her usual blank expression, "They disappoint me."

Sachiko didn't have a response to that as Winter turned and headed out the front door. She closed the door behind her and started to walk towards the bus station. She had to walk down a flight of stairs, for some reason her aunt had to live as a cemetery groundskeeper, and looked at the two people that were waiting there. She eyed them slightly and quietly labeled them as people she didn't want to know or converse with. One was an Elvis impersonator reject that was listening to some horrible screamo that could be heard from his headphones he was playing his music so loud, and the other was a boy with lavender hair who creepily chuckling to himself. Winter took a spot away from the creeps and quietly questioned Domino city on the strangeness of their teenagers. She pulled out a piece of paper and bit her lip slightly. She wanted to go the address that was written down on the paper.

Kame Game shop.

She genuinely loved games and was really wanting to play a few. Playing games brought happier memories to the forefront of her mind, and with all the sad ones usually taking up residence in the front of her mind, she needed to focus on the happier memories. The bus came and the three students got in after showing their bus passes to the driver. The Elvis reject and the creep headed towards the back of the bus while Winter stood at the front with a gaggle of old ladies. A couple of them kept staring at her hair and she ignored them. She knew that she had two cowlicks at the top of her head, even when it was long, they had been there. It was always a spot that people had looked at. She looked out a window and watched the city pass as the bus made its way to her new school.

"Domino High," The driver announced, pulling over near the school.

Winter stepped off the bus and she headed towards the main office. She kept a blank expression on her face as the students around her gossiped to one another. It was always the same, no matter where she went people talked. They always gossiped more than they should. She opened the door to the office and sighed quietly as she noticed an elderly woman working behind a counter. The office reminded her of a bank, and she tilted her head slightly before walking up and lightly tapping on the glass.

"How can I help you?" The old woman asked.

"I'm Doyle Winter," Winter quietly stated, "My aunt enrolled me in the school yesterday. I'm just here for my schedule."

"Right, Doyle-San," The elderly lady confirmed, typing at her computer before printing something, "You'll be in the class with a few of our misfit students. If any of them give you trouble don't feel scared to come to us."

"Of course," Winter nodded, accepting her schedule before heading out to find the shoe locker on the paper.

She found her locker and quickly changed her shoes. She noticed that the girls around her locker backed up as soon as she approached, and she tried not to care. She tightened her grip on her school bag and bento before heading up the stairs to her class. The first year, class B. She quietly lamented the fact that she'd be spending the last three years of high school in Japan. She was lucky that her mother forced her to learn the language growing up. Even if her understanding of it in written form was horrible.

"Are you the new student?" The homeroom teacher asked in a haughty tone, she sneered at the taller student who didn't seem to care.

"Yes," Winter replied, her attention going to the students entering the classroom.

"You'll be introduced in a few seconds," The teacher stated.

She turned on her heel and entered the classroom. The class president stood up and called the class to attention. The teacher dismissed them and gave them a nice smile. A few of the students didn't find any comfort in her smile.

"We have a new student today," The teacher announced, "I'm sure you've all seen her. Please come in, Doyle-San."

Winter entered the classroom and the mutters started. The teacher relished in the gossip and noticed that Winter wasn't even phased. Winter was looking around the classroom with dull hazel eyes before they stopped on a singular student who was smiling. She almost blinked in shock at the student's hair color, or should she say colors. Blonde, black, and magenta? She had to question who taught him how to dye his hair, a quiet part of her wondered if it was his real hair color. His smile brightened and she quickly looked away.

"My name is Doyle Winter, it's nice to meet you," She quietly stated, giving a small bow like her Aunt told her to.

"So formal," a quiet statement caught her attention.

The teacher snickered quietly at that and then gave Winter a false smile. That seemed to get a reaction out of the tall teen. They way her shoulders tensed was enough evidence of that. She quickly cleared her throat as hazel eyes turned to her.

"You'll be sitting next to Mutou Yugi," The teacher informed her, "Mutou-san, stand up please."

The boy with the shocking head of hair stood up and smiled warmly at Winter as she slowly walked to her seat on his right. She took her seat and Yugi sat down with his small smile. It slowly turned shy as he worked up his courage to speak to her. She was putting her bag on the hook for it and didn't even spare him a glance.

"It's nice to meet you," Yugi quietly greeted.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Winter replied as she looked up before bowing her head slightly and turning her attention to the teacher.

Yugi made a small face at the highly formal way of speech and noticed the gloves that Winter wore. He had to wonder if she was germophobic. He peeked at her notebook and noticed the small and tidy script she did with her kanji and hiragana. He turned his attention to his own and noted that his handwriting was bigger and a bit messy when compared. He shook those thoughts from his head and began to take notes of his own.

The entire class sighed in relief when a recess went into effect. Yugi brought out a two-player game from his bag as Winter brought out a small sketchbook to draw in. Yugi was setting up his game when he heard something that surprised him. He tensed at the words he heard.

"I heard she set her house on fire," a female student from class D stated.

"Really?" One of his fellow classmates asked. "Are you sure, she seems kind of nice once you get past her formality."

"Are you joking? I thought she was kind of a bitch," The girl from class D stated.

Yugi looked over at Winter and noticed that she had paused in her drawing and was staring at the paper in front of her with blank eyes and her mouth set in a straight line. He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat as she set her pencil against the paper and went back to drawing. He would admit that he got curious and looked at the drawing. He blinked at the artwork of a Duel Monster, something that was in production with a few articles in a gamers magazine that his Grandpa got monthly. He heard that at one point the creator of the game sent out a contest for a spot to create an official card. A girl in San Diego, California had won it. He noted that the Dark Magician Girl was staring at him with a small wink and cheeky grin on her face.

"Ah," Yugi stated, "You're really good at drawing."

Winter jumped in surprise and turned to him with slightly wide eyes. It was the most expression that anyone had gotten out of her in the last few weeks. Her cheeks turned a pale pink as she looked down at her drawing. She was hoping that no one would notice her drawing.

"Thank you," Winter quietly stated, "I've been drawing her for as long as I can remember. D-Do you want it?"

Yugi looked up at her with wide eyes before a grin spread across his face and he gave a nod. She gave a small signature in the left corner and dated it before handing it over to him. He gently placed it in one of his folders and Winter seemed surprised at the care that he handled the drawing with. She couldn't help but be reminded of her Grandfather, who was currently in America fighting for the right to be her guardian since her father stopped being one, and his love for the arts. Yugi turned back and noticed a soft faraway smile on her face and he felt his cheeks heat up. He couldn't help but think that she should smile more, her smile was lovely. It was quickly hidden behind her expressionless facade and he brought his desk to sit against hers and she seemed surprised as he grinned and offered his game to her.

"Odin's Ravens?" Winter quietly asked, "You like games, Mutou-San?"

"Yeah," Yugi nodded, setting up the two decks and the flight pattern, "My Jiji runs a game shop."

"Would it happen to be Kame Game shop?" Winter asked, her English words clear and less formal than her Japanese.

"Yeah," Yugi affirmed.

"I was wanting to go there after school," Winter quietly admitted, "Maybe you'll see me again today."

Yugi was ecstatic about that. For some reason, Winter didn't really scare him or bother him that much. He thought she seemed…sad. Like something had happened that had caused her pain. He'd rather hear what happened from Winter than from a rumor that came from his classmates. He turned his attention to the game as the two took to the game with slightly serious expressions. Winter was the first to go and Yugi noted that she was able to move four spaces ahead of him with a single flight card. She easily drew a new card and ended her turn. Yugi was only able to move two spots and he drew two new cards after placing one in his auxiliary deck. His eyes widened slightly when she was able to take another two spots. She won within two turns and blinked when she noticed that she had.

"Ah," She quietly stated, looking down at her hand, "I guess I had a really good hand."

Yugi blinked as she showed him the hand she had gotten. He had to admit that it was a lucky draw. She could've ended the game ten different ways and he wouldn't have been upset. He finally seemed to have found someone that enjoyed games as much as he did.

"Remember first to twelve truly wins the game," Yugi reminded her, she blinked, and her eyes softened slightly.

"Right," Winter stated, they started up a new round and Yugi won the second round with five points.

They started the round that seemed like it would finish the game and Winter was amused as Yugi won the last round and finished the game. She tilted her head slightly before letting out an amused sigh. Of course, she had to find the one person who was good at games. That was just her luck.

"You're really good at games," Winter admitted, she helped Yugi pack up the game as students started to return to class, "I hope we can do this again, Mutou-San."

"Yeah," Yugi agreed, as the teacher walked back in.

The two pulled their desks apart and Winter noticed a brunette with blue eyes walk up to Yugi and give him a friendly smile. He flushed slightly and smiled back as Winter pulled out a new notebook to take notes in. The teacher began to lecture on Math and the students either took notes or stared out the window. After two hours the school finally ended, and Winter was quick to pack all her things away before walking out of the classroom. She changed her shoes at her locker before leaving the school completely. She blinked in surprise when she saw Sachiko waiting for her with a motorcycle.

"What happened to your van?" She questioned in English.

"I decided to air out your moms' old motorcycle," Sachiko replied in Japanese, "She left it to you in her will, plus I know you have a driver's license for it too."

Winter gave a stiff nod at that and accepted the helmet that Sachiko handed to her before climbing on behind the older woman. Sachiko smirked and revved the engine before taking off towards their home. She could feel Winter relaxing slightly the longer they drove. She parked outside of the house and got off. Winter slowly followed and removed her helmet with somewhat shallow breaths.

"Winter? Are you going to be okay?" Sachiko asked, rushing forward to gently place a hand on her Nieces back.

"The doctors said it might take a while for my breathing to go back to normal," Winter admitted, "They also said it could take years. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Don't push yourself," Sachiko scolded, she got a small smile in response as Winter headed inside and removed her shoes.

Sachiko followed and watched as the teen headed up the stairs and into her room. She chuckled slightly, there was a spark of happiness in her eyes again. She wanted to thank whoever brought it back. In her opinion, it had been far too long. She blinked in surprise when Winter came back down in civilian clothing. The black sweater and light blue skinny jean combo made her happy, but she was curious as to where she was going.

"Where do you think, you're going?" Sachiko questioned, placing a hand on her hip.

"There's a game shop that a classmate lives at," Winter answered, "I'd like to pick up a few games."

"Grab me a puzzle while you're at it," Sachiko stated before shuffling off into the kitchen.

Winter shook her head and headed towards the motorcycle. She brushed her fingers again one of the handles and remembered her problem breathing while riding behind Sachiko. She took a deep breath before swinging a leg over the side and climbing on, she decided that she had to live a little for once. She started up the motorcycle and placed her helmet on. It only took two seconds before she backed out of the house's driveway and started driving through the residential area. She followed the speed limit and noticed that her mother didn't put a muffler cap on the vehicle and thanked her quietly. She had always hated how some people in America would buy one too big and drive with them on. The noise they'd make was not something she missed about America. She stopped in an area next to Kame Game shop and took a deep breath before smiling slightly, her cheeks were a light pink and her eyes had some life in them. It took a few seconds before they slowly dulled again, and she reverted to her expressionless ways. She stuck the helmet under her arm and headed inside the shop.

"Welcome," an elderly man greeted with a kind smile, she blinked at how similar his hair was to Yugi's.

She had an answer about his hair now unless his Grandfather also gelled his hair into spikes, it could be naturally spiked. She gave a tight smile before looking around the shop in slight curiosity. The old man didn't take much offense to it, his Grandson warned him beforehand of a customer that might seem rude but was nice when you got to know them. He thought it was cute that his Grandson had a small crush on the girl that was currently looking at each of the shelves in thought. She reminded him of a youth his son used to be friends with.

"Would your surname happen to be Akahoshi?" The elderly man asked, and he got a look of surprise to appear on her face.

"Not mine, but it's my aunt surname and my mother maiden name," Winter truthfully admitted, "It might end up being it."

He could tell that was a sensitive topic and sent the girl a sad smile as she gave a soft one in response before turning back to the shelves. She seemed to find something and reached up to grab a game. Her sleeve rolled down her arm and his eyes widened at the burns that lined her arms and he watched as her hand twitched slightly before she grasped onto a puzzle and gently brought it down. She then grabbed one of his specialty games and he smiled at the game she picked up. Hounds and Jackals, a game he had picked up in his youth when he had gone to Egypt. He rung up her items and she handed over the twenty-five thousand yen she owed, and he placed them in a bag for her and she was genuinely surprised at that.

"Jiji!" Called a familiar voice, "Okaa-San wanted to know if you wanted tea! Ah, Doyle-San!"

"Hello Mutou-San," Winter greeted with the smallest of smiles.

Yugi beamed at the fact he was able to get a smile out of her at all without her sadness mixed in. Grandpa snickered on the inside at how his Grandson was beaming like a fool and the girl was giving him a look of fond endearment. He hoped his Grandson could get the girl since his son had been unable to, although he truly loved the woman who he had married. Winter took her bag and Yugi noted that she was looking at the watch on her wrist.

"I should get going, my Aunts probably worrying about me," Winter stated, she looked like she'd rather stay and talk but she truly had to go, "I'll see you in class, and thank you Mutou-San for the games. I think I'll be a reoccurring customer."

The two Mutou boys waved as he exited the store and Grandpa turned to Yugi with a sly smile on his face. Yugi ignored it and smiled happily as his mother came to check up on the two. Her eyes widened at the smile on her son's face. The one on her fathers scared her a bit.

"So, that's the new student you were telling me about?" Grandpa asked.

Yugi jumped slightly before blushing slightly. He felt a little embarrassed about being excited to get her to smile. He then scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner. His mother gave him a raised brow as his cheeks flared up, even more, she had only seen this kind of reaction from her son when it came to his childhood friend Anzu.

"She has a nice smile," Yugi admitted, "I want to be her friend, she seems lonely."

His mother's eyes softened at that and she gave her son a small kiss on the head at how sweet he was, though he spent too much time around his Grandfather. Another friend that was a girl would be good for him, especially one that had similar likes. She was surprised that her father-in-law agreed with Yugi.

"Her mother had the same smile," Grandpa admitted, "That woman used to be friends with your father, they grew up together."

"Ah, Akahoshi-San?" Yugi's mother asked, "I remember her, she used to be such a delinquent riding around on that motorcycle of hers. She was a kind person even with her tendency to do things the hard way."

"What do you mean by that?" Yugi questioned.

"She used to get in a lot of fights to protect her friends," His mother smiled, "She even stood up for me once when someone was trying to force me to date them. I've never been able to thank her."

Yugi tilted his head slightly at that before nodding and his mother headed hack into the kitchen. Yugi smiled and headed back up to his room to work on his treasure. He felt like he was finally getting close. After eight years of attempting to solve his puzzle, he felt as though he was truly close. His night was filled with attempts at solving his puzzle.

Sachiko walked past her niece's room and peeked in to see if the teen was awake. Winter was sitting at her desk with a picture in her uncovered hands. She winced at the dark red burns that covered Winters' hands. She knew that the pain of picking things up was long gone due to the medicine she put on her hands at night, but the scarring from such burns was going to be a topic of conversation for the rest of her life. Winter put the picture facing down on her desk and turned to get her medicine and bandages. Sachiko quickly ducked out of sight and continued to her room. She simply sighed before heading to bed.

A whole week had passed, and Winter slowly found herself excited at the prospect of school. The next Monday was very different from her first as Winter finished up some leftover homework over breakfast. Sachiko had talked to her Grandfather and he told her that things were going well in the custody battle and that he should be home soon. She finished making a bento for Winter and noticed that Winters homework was just about finished. Winter finished it within the span of three minutes and placed it in her school bag before wolfing down her breakfast. She got up and cleaned her dishes before grabbing her bento and school bag.

"I'm off," She quietly called.

"Don't cause any trouble!" Sachiko called after.

Winter made a face at that and looked towards her motorcycle in sadness. She wasn't allowed to ride it to school, Aunts rules. Apparently, her Grandfather was okay with her riding it to school. She was if you asked, she wouldn't have admitted it, slightly excited to see her Grandfather again. She went to her bus stop and ignored the two students that she was unfortunate enough to share it with. She brought out a textbook and began to read it, glad for how small it was compared to an American textbook. Her eyes danced across the pages as she got on the bus and put away her book. She didn't want to look rude, and she'd rather look out the window if she had to. An old lady with a basket filled with yarn studied her for a few seconds before smiling and patting the empty seat next to her. Winter took her up on that offer.

"You remind me of a girl who used to deliver flowers for me," The old woman stated in a sad tone, "She was a good worker."

"I see," Winter quietly muttered. "What happened to her?"

"I believe she passed away a few weeks ago," The woman stated, she had to think about it.

Winters' face became surprised before shifting into neutrality. She gave a short nod of understanding and the two sat in a comfortable silence before Winter got off at her stop. She traveled inside the school and was surprised to find someone waiting at her locker. Yugi stood there with a small smile that brightened when he saw her.

"Good morning, Mutou-San," Winter greeted.

"Ah, Good morning Doyle-San," Yugi greeted. "Please call me Yugi."

"Okay, Yugi-kun," Winter relented, "Then call me Winter."

Yugi nodded and Winter quickly changed shoes before following him up to the classroom. He talked the entire way and he noticed that Winter was content to listen to him and add a comment every so often. He felt a warmth in his chest and was happy that he made a new friend. Winter smiled slightly as she listened to Yugi talk. The little guy ended up being a friend to her, and she was happy about that. She was doing what Sachiko wanted her to do. She almost stopped in her tracks when she saw something move in Yugi's shadow. She passed it off as being the light from the windows changing position as the sun continued its slow trek up the sky. A part of her wanted to say something different, something supernatural.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked her.

"Just lost in thought," Winter stated in a sheepish tone, "I'm sorry."

Yugi nodded his head as they entered the classroom and were met with the gossip from the female students. Yugi found it strange that the female students were creating gossip about his friend. He knew that she was a kind person. He didn't believe the rumors about her starting a fire that killed someone. He heard her breath hitch as she heard a particular rumor that hinted at a sibling's death. The two sat down at their desks and he noticed that Winter was staring at her desktop with a blank expression. If he had looked away, he would've missed the tears that slowly traveled down her nose before landing on the sleeve of her uniform. He felt sad at the scene as the girls continued their harsh gossip.

"Would you knock it off!" The brunette, from the week before, yelled.

"Anzu," Yugi quietly stated, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

The classroom had silenced at Anzu's outburst and Winter was looking up at her with surprise on her face as the tears were finally made known. A few of the girls that had been gossiping genuinely looked apologetic when they saw the tears, others scoffed slightly and believed them to be an act. Winter quickly wiped her tears away and Yugi gave her shoulder a pat.

"She has never done anything to you to deserve this kind of treatment!" Anzu continued, performing her job as the class president, "Why don't you guys give her a chance?"

"She's unapproachable!" A girl cried, "Somehow only Mutou-Kun was able to get close."

"She's kind of scary with that blank expression on her face," another girl admitted.

Anzu huffed at that as they started to gossip again. She gave Winter an apologetic smile and got a soft one of understanding and gratefulness back. Anzu blinked in slight surprise before calling the class into a standing position to greet the teacher. The class went smoothly, and everyone took off at recess. Yugi looked towards Winter, Anzu had gone to play basketball and noticed that she was staring at her sketchbook in thought.

"Want to play?" He asked, holding up a few cards.

"Sure," she nodded, scooting her desk next to his.

He decided to build a castle out of cards with her and noted that she was able to get a few on the top for him when he couldn't reach. A student tapped on the desk and the cards fell. The student turned red as he sheepishly stared at the two friends who looked a little upset that it had fallen.

"Would you guys like to play basketball?" The student questioned.

"No thank you," Winter softly declined.

"Any team I'd join would lose," Yugi sheepishly stated, Winter gave him a look and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're right," their classmate stated, he turned and exited the classroom.

Yugi made a face as Winter began to clean up the cards that had fallen to the floor. He began to wonder if he could trust her with his treasure. He smiled slightly and thought back to the advice his mother had given him. 'She sounds a little cut off, but willing to be friends. Give her time and she'll eventually show more of her personality to you.' His mother was a very wise woman. He brought out his treasure box and set it on his desk. Only to have it swiped by one of the few natural blondes that went to Domino High.

"What is this?" He questioned.

"Jounouchi! Please give it back!" Yugi pleaded, jumping from his seat and attempting to grab at the box.

"Since you're jumping around like a girl this must be pretty valuable to you," Jounouchi stated, he held it up higher as Yugi almost got close to it.

Winter decided right there and then, and upon seeing the frantic look on Yugi's face, that she was going to do everything to help her new friend. She got up from her seat and easily towered over Jounouchi, she guessed being six feet tall was a good thing, for once. Jounouchi noticed her and she gave him a cold look as she easily grabbed the box from his grasp.

"Here," She stated in a gentle tone to Yugi, handing him the box, "You need to leave Yugi alone Jounouchi-kun."

Jounouchi backed up from the look she was giving him. He knew that he could handle her if she got violent, but he'd rather not hit a girl. He gave the two a glare before exiting the classroom, his hands deep in his pockets. He inwardly smirked to himself, he had slipped into the box and grabbed a piece of whatever was inside. He stepped up to an open window and tossed it into the pool next to the school. He knew that was going to drive Yugi crazy, not being able to solve his treasure. He walked past a taller student with large bushy eyebrows. He felt angry just looking at his face. He clicked his tongue and wisely walked away.

"You should stand up for yourself," Winter softly scolded Yugi.

"I know, but one look from you startled him," Yugi stated.

"I used my height to my advantage, it's as much of a blessing as it is a curse," Winter joked with a small smile.

Yugi perked up at that and beamed. She was finally opening up to him. He was making progress, he hoped that he could continue this. He sheepishly looked towards the treasure box and placed it back on his desk before clearing his throat. For theatrics of course.

"If you can get this riddle right then I'll show you my treasure," Yugi grinned.

"Okay, I'm game," Winter stated, fixing him with a curious look.

"I am something you can see, but haven't seen," Yugi stated.

Winter crossed her arms and reiterated the riddle to herself in English. She tapped a finger against her chin and Yugi caught sight of her burns, thankfully they were a bit pinker than the angry red they had been, he sighed sadly and then blinked when an "Ah" expression appeared on her face. A bright smile slowly spread across her face and he felt his cheeks heat up.

"Is it a puzzle?" She asked.

"Y-Yeah! How'd you figure it out?" Yugi asked.

"Well, a puzzle is a picture that can be seen but has yet to actually be seen," Winter chuckled, "It's a clever riddle, did you come up with it?"

"I don't know," Yugi truthfully stated, he gripped the lid to the box, "I doubt that I did, but I do know that I promised to show you the treasure."

He opened the box and Winter was met with the gold pieces to a puzzle. She looked at Yugi and he smiled as she gently picked up a piece. It let off a very small, golden glow at her touch and a content expression appeared on her face as she looked at the puzzle.

"Is it from Egypt?" Winter asked, turning the piece in her hand.

"Yeah," Yugi nodded, "I think my Jiji found it while he was cleaning the store."

"That doesn't explain where he got Hounds and Jackals," Winter smiled slightly, "How long have you been working on this puzzle?"

"Eight years," Yugi answered without missing a beat.

"Eight years?" Winter asked in English, her eyes wide and staring at Yugi in awe, "I would've given up after a while, you are tenacious."

"What?" Yugi questioned, only understanding half of what she said.

"Sorry," Winter apologized, switching back to Japanese as her face grew slightly pink, "I stated that I would've given up after a while, you're pretty tenacious."

"Ha-ha," Yugi chuckled slightly, "I think the engravings on the side say that whoever solves the puzzle gets a wish, but you probably think I'm a kid for believing in those kinds of things."

"Not really," Winter truthfully shrugged, "I can't blame a person for a wish when I myself have one."

"What's your wish?" Yugi asked.

Winter looked at him and he saw the sadness come back as she gave him a small smile. Her hands clenched at her skirt and if her hands had been uncovered the skin would've turned pink instead of white. She seemed to think for a few minutes before speaking.

"I would wish for my baby brother back," it was said in such a soft voice that Yugi almost didn't hear it.

Yugi sadly smiled at that before looking towards the treasure box as Winter put the piece back in. The soft glow around the piece had stopped upon leaving her hand. She shyly looked towards the windows and Yugi watched as she struggled for words.

"I'm not ready to tell what happened, please give me some time," Winter softly asked.

"Of course," Yugi loudly stated scaring Winter slightly. "I'll be here waiting for when you want to tell me."

"Thank you, Yugi-kun," Winter stated. "Want to study together after school?"

"Sure, my place?" Yugi asked.

"It might be closer than mine, plus I don't want my Aunt to jump you," Winter admitted as her face slowly went blank, "She did that to me my first time visiting, it wasn't fun."

Yugi chuckled at that and Winter gave him a look as students came back in. The desks parted and Winter sent an angry Anzu a worried look. Anzu was glaring at a few of the male students and Winter wisely stayed out of it as the teacher came in to teach. School eventually ended and Yugi gave Winter a smile as she packed all her things away and gave yawn. Yugi found it funny that she smiled happily while yawning. He knew that she didn't realize it. She stood up from her seat and the two headed towards their lockers. Shoes were changed and they headed outside.

"Mutou Yugi-kun," a deep voice stopped the two.

"Yes?" Yugi answered in confusion.

"I'm from the moral committee," The student informed him, "have you been picked on by anyone in your class?"

"No, I haven't experienced anything like that," Yugi stated.

"Hold on!" The student stated, "I'm going to investigate it! So, relax, Yugi-kun, from now on consider me your paid bodyguard."

"I don't think Yugi wants that," Winter spoke up, the student's eyes sliding to her as she glared at him with narrowed eyes.

"She's right," Yugi spoke up, grateful that his friend stood up for him, "Let's go, Winter-Chan."

Winter blinked in surprise as Yugi grasped onto her wrist and began to walk out of the school. After they turned a corner and were out of sight of the school Yugi dropped her wrist and sighed in relief. Winter stood up straight and ignored the crack her back let off. She spared the school a look and narrowed her eyes slightly. There was something off about that student, to her at least, he seemed…crooked. She felt uneasy about him and began to worry about Yugi. She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. She was brought out of her thoughts as Yugi opened the door to the Game shop.

"I'm home!" Yugi called, stepping into the shop.

Winter followed him as his Grandpa appeared from behind the counter. She smiled in a very small greeting as Yugi beamed. Yugi excused himself for a few seconds to put away the puzzle. His Grandfather was surprised at the mention of the puzzle.

"You haven't given up on that yet?" Grandpa asked.

"Who said anything about giving up?" Yugi asked, a small pout on his face.

"It takes a very intelligent person to put together that millennium puzzle," Grandpa responded, "That thing has a varied history, the millennium puzzle was found in the early nineteen hundreds and the English archeological team who removed it from the tomb of Pharaoh all died mysteriously."

"Spooky," Winter quietly muttered, she frowned as it sounded very familiar.

"They all said the same thing score they died," Grandpa stated, "They all talked about a shadow game."

Yami no game? Something about that terminology caused a frown to appear on her face. It sounded so familiar, but she couldn't place where she had heard of it. Her mother used to tell folklore and mythology to her instead of bedtime stories, maybe she heard it from her.

"What's a Shadow Game?" Yugi asked, "I'm curious now."

Winter gave a small smile at that. Leave it to Yugi to be excited about demonic powers. Winter blinked at that sudden train of thought. She needed to see if her Aunt had any of her mother's journals. She knew for a fact that her mother wrote her stories down in them. Grandpa pointed something out on the box and Winter joined Yugi on looking at it.

"The engraved symbols on the box roughly translates to 'to the one who controls me, I will give dark wisdom and strength'," Grandpa translated.

"I knew it!" Yugi exclaimed Winter and Grandpa jumped in unison at the sudden loud noise, "My wish will come true!"

"Hey give it back!" Grandpa stated. "I can sell that for a lot."

Yugi began to rush to his room and Grandpa followed. Winter stood in the store with wide eyes as Yugi's mother peeked in to see what the commotion was about. Winter couldn't help but be amused by the two. She felt a bubble of laughter rise and fought to keep it down. She didn't want to appear rude by laughing at them.

"I knew it! You just want to sell it!" Yugi's voice floated from upstairs.

His mother sighed slightly before looking towards the source of soft laughter. She was taken aback by the taller girl, but then her eyes widened. She looked just like her mother, except the hazel eyes that belonged to her Grandfather. Winter blushed slightly and gave a small cough to stop laughing.

"I'm sorry," Winter apologized, "I shouldn't have laughed at them."

"It's all right," Yugi's mother stated, "Those two can be very spirited sometimes. You going to study with Yugi?"

"Yes Ma'am," Winter nodded.

Well, she can certainly see why her son called her very formal. Those manners were of an ingrained sort. The Mutou matriarch smiled softly and welcomed the tall teen into her house and smiled in relief as she seemed to have a semblance of Japanese customs. Yugi came barreling down the stairs and smiled as he grasped onto his schoolbooks. Winter had promised to help him with his English if he helped her with her Japanese. Surprisingly she was wonderful at speaking it, but her reading skills were horrible. The two sat down at the coffee table and started on English first.

"English is a strange language," Winter stated, "You have the Queen's English, Australian English, and then American English."

"Eh? There are differences between the three?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah, there's different spellings and different saying," Winter informed him, "It's why it's one of the hardest languages to learn. The sentence structures are different as well, in Japanese you have different sayings for one's self."

"I see, and English has some?" Yugi asked.

"I, me, and myself," Winter stated, writing them down so Yugi could see, "It depends on the topic of a sentence, like 'I will be going to the store'."

Yugi could understand that a bit as she wrote it down and then added the 'I will' as 'I'll'. He found it rather simple. He had to wonder if playing games had something to do with it. He grabbed the worksheet that the teacher had assigned, and he began to work on it, asking some questions every once and a while. They finished and then moved onto Japanese literature. Yugi noted that Winters problems laid in the Kanji of the stories. She had troubles guessing the different meanings. They finished the reading and Winter gave him a thankful smile.

"Thank you, Yugi-kun," Winter smiled, taking a sip of the tea that Yugi's mother had brought them. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Yugi grinned, leaning back into the couch.

The two continued to rest and eat their snack before a very familiar face made itself known. Grandpa was talking to Sachiko as she happily conversed with him. Yugi looked over at the woman and couldn't see the similarities in the two until he saw her smile. It was the same kind of soft smile that made him smile.

"Sorry she's been here a while," Sachiko apologized.

"She's been a delight to have over," Grandpa stated, "They finished their homework a few minutes ago."

"Oi!" Sachiko called to Winter, "It's time to go."

"Okay," Winter quietly stated, "See you at school Yugi-kun."

"Of course!" Yugi grinned.

Winter smiled slightly and gave a wave before leaving with her Aunt. Yugi continued to sit at the coffee table with a smile on his face. His mother smiled at that as he finally got up to clean up the items from the snack. They ate dinner and talked about how his schooling was going before they all headed off to do their own things. Yugi was up late working on the puzzle and had gotten close to solving it before falling asleep.

The next day he was met with a van outside of the shop. The passenger window rolled down and Winter smiled at him from the front seat. He smiled upon seeing her smiling at him. She looked as though she had just woken up with how badly her hair was sticking up.

"My Aunts on her way to work and offered a ride," Winter quietly explained, "Need a lift?"

"Thank you," Yugi stated, quickly climbing into the back seat of the van.

The two in the front had drinks and Yugi was handed a can of tea with a slightly apologetic smile.

"I didn't know what you'd like so I got you a tea," Winter quietly stated.

Sachiko smirked before she started to drive the two to school. Yugi wasn't upset with the tea, he was happy that she had even thought about him joining the ride. He was even glad that he was even getting a ride to school. Sachiko dropped the two off and they waved to the older woman as she drove off.

"Yugi-kun, this might sound weird, but," Winter started, she looked down and kicked at the ground slightly, "Be careful around Ushio-san, there's something…off about him. I can't really explain it."

"Yeah," Yugi nodded his agreement, he felt that way as well.

Winter gave him a thankful smile and the two started to head up to their classroom. A blonde teacher glared at Winter as they passed her. Chono, the teacher that held homeroom, was a stickler for the rules. She didn't like the fact that her newest student was permitted to wear gloves. She didn't care that it was for medical reasons. The brat just set her off the edge. She went into the class and smiled as the other students were called into attention. She guessed that she had to put up with it until she could call for a surprise inspection.

Yugi and Winter looked bored as the entire school day went on. Yugi was nearly falling asleep having been working on his puzzle late into the night. Winter was bored because she had already been in most of these lectures back in America. She had her sketchbook out and was working on another picture of the Dark Magician girl, but this time the Dark Magician was also in the drawing as well. She wanted to smile at the fact that they were drinking tea together. The Dark Magician girl was talking about something and the Dark Magician was listening with his eyes closed. She jumped when the recess was called. Yugi let out a yawn as the students went to play basketball. Winter finished her drawing by signing it and dating it as well.

"Yugi-kun," a very familiar voice got the two's attention, "Would you come with me for a minute."

"S-sure," Yugi quietly agreed.

Winter got up and gave him a look as she followed. He knew that she didn't trust Ushio. She was worried about something happening to him. He thought about it and decided that he'd rather have someone with him that would have his back. The two followed Ushio outside and the sight that met them had Winter's blood boiling. Jounouchi and his friend Honda were laying against each other. Beaten to a pulp with blood coming from their noses.

"Honda-san, Jounouchi-San!" Winter called, running forward to help the two, "Ushio! What the hell?"

Yugi has never seen Winter angry before, he was glad that it wasn't aimed at him. Jounouchi groaned slightly and Winter winced as she searched her pockets for something to stop the bleeding. She took a few minutes to think before pulling off her gloves and wiping some of the blood off the two's faces.

"It was my duty to punish these two," Ushio stated.

"But this is too cruel!" Yugi yelled at him.

"Move," Ushio demanded, he grabbed Winter by the shoulder and easily tossed her out of the way, "I'm not done punishing these two."

He kicked Jounouchi in the chest and Yugi let out a yell of disbelief. Winter got up from the ground cradling her hands to her chest as some blood dropped down from them. Yugi rushed in front of Jounouchi and Honda and Ushio stopped his attack. Winter took her chance to get him away from those injured. She rammed into him with her shoulder and he was forcibly moved a few feet away from the boys.

"Why are you protecting these jerks?" Ushio asked the two, gaining his balance with ease.

"Because we can't do that to our friends!" Yugi yelled at him, Winter hesitated for a second before nodding in agreement.

"Most people hate their bullies," Ushio stated, "You're a pretty nice guy for callin' two punks like these your friends."

"It wasn't bullying," Yugi muttered, "This punishment is no good."

"Alright then," Ushio stated, a sly grin spreading across his face, "I'll take my payment now, it's two hundred thousand yen."

"Two hundred thousand?!" Yugi and Winter yelled in surprise.

""For two hundred thousand you can hit them for as much as you like," Ushio stated, "Are you unsatisfied that I didn't hit them enough?"

"You've done more than enough!" Yugi shouted, "If anyone else is beating them up more it's me!"

"Fine, have it your way," Ushio stated, grabbing Winter by the back of her blazer, "I'll just make sure to leave a few bodily reminders for you."

With those final words he easily tossed Winter over his shoulder and she hit the ground with a sickening thud. Yugi's eyes widened as she struggled to get up and he started to move towards her. He was stopped by Ushio who picked him up by the collar. He closed his eyes as a fist was slammed into his stomach before slamming into his left cheek. His beating continued until a feminine hand was placed on Ushio's arm. He dropped Yugi and backed away in disgust from her hands. The burned skin was angry and inflamed by the sun and blood was dripping from her palms.

"Tch," Ushio clicked his tongue, "You better bring my money tomorrow, or else the pain from today will be nothing compared to tomorrow's."

He sashayed off while chuckling darkly and Winter ran forward to help Yugi stand. She held out a hand and after a few seconds, he accepted it. She winced in pain but helped pull him up as she moved to help Jounouchi and Honda stand up. Honda had flinched at her hands but Jounouchi had easily accepted the help up, though he grasped at her wrist than her hand.

"You two going to be okay?" Winter asked.

"We'll be fine," Jounouchi nodded, he handed her back her gloves.

She gave him a quiet thanks before turning to Yugi with a sad expression. Yugi was looking down at the ground with his hands balled up into fists. Jounouchi sighed quietly as he and Honda left the two friends. Recess this day marked the end of school. She gently touched Yugi's shoulder and he jumped in surprise before she began to lead him back into the school.

"Wait for me?" She asked, "I'll be right back."

"Okay," Yugi replied, his voice quiet and the tone somber.

She rushed up the stairs and easily made it to their classroom. She picked up their things and quickly raced back down the stairs. Yugi was still waiting but had changed his shoes. She quickly changed shoes and handed him his bag.

"Let's see if your Jiji has a first-aid kit," Winter suggested, "Mine was stolen a week ago."

She got a small nod in response. The two walked all the way to the Game shop and she opened the door with worry written on her face. Grandpa saw the expression and immediately knew something was wrong when she gently guided Yugi into the shop. The two were covered in scratches and bruises, he couldn't tell who looked worse. He gathered the two and led them inside to be patched up. His Daughter-in-law hurried in with the first-aid kit. She started on Yugi first and noted that Winter relaxed at that.

"I'll give Sachiko-Chan a call," Grandpa stated.

"Ah, she's working in the next town over," Winter informed him, "She said she'd be back tomorrow afternoon. I have the emergency number she gave me."

She dug in her bag and eventually found the slip of paper that Sachiko had given her. It was handed over to the elder before he went and gave the woman a call. She had cursed but told him she couldn't leave her job. He understood that and quietly made sure that having the teen over for the night was okay with Hana, Yugi's mother.

"Of course, it's okay!" Hana yelled.

Winter had jumped and Yugi had slowly moved towards her since he was fully patched up. Hana quickly snatched up the teens' gloves and made a mental note to wash them. Then she worked on the teen's hands and face. She sighed at the horrible burns that covered the girl's hands and used some aloe and bandages to keep them from getting infected. Yugi had far more bandages on his face though Winter had a rather large one on her cheek. The two were told to change, Grandpa lending Winter an old sweatshirt and shorts that had been left at his house by her mother. She thanked him profusely and he chuckled softly. She may have looked like her mother but had her Grandfathers gentle disposition. Dinner had gone without any problems and Yugi perked up at the sight of Hamburgers. The two friends had gone up to Yugi's room to count money. Winter added on her own two thousand to help him out.

"We still don't have enough," Yugi muttered, he started to build the puzzle.

"It does put us in a pretty tough spot," Winter agreed, sitting on his bed and watching as he built the puzzle, "Though I've heard that times like this cause larger problems to become clearer. I'm beginning to think that it's true."

Yugi blinked after sliding another piece of the puzzle into place. Winter gave him a small grin and he finally smiled back as he continued to put the puzzle together. She got up and rested her arms against his desk to watch in awe as piece after piece clicked together. Soon enough a pyramid came to be in his hands.

"All I need is one more piece," Yugi stated, she investigated the inside of the box and her face fell.

"There are no more in the box," She quietly informed him.

He gasped quietly and soon the two were searching his room for the piece. Yugi stopped and tears started to stream down his face. Winter knelt next to him and placed a hand on his back. He sniffed loudly and she felt horrible at the fact that there was a piece missing. The door opened and the two turned to look at Grandpa.

"Oh my, the puzzle is completed!" Grandpa exclaimed in surprise, picking up said puzzle and examining it.

"No, in the end, I couldn't finish it Jiji," Yugi softly stated.

"Yugi, you've worked on this puzzle for eight years pouring your hopes and dreams into it," Grandpa stated, "You should have more faith."

"Eh?" Yugi asked.

"If you do your wish shall come true!" Grandpa held out his hand and there it was, the missing piece.

"Jiji," Yugi sniffed, he bolted into his grandpa's arms and embraced the man.

Grandpa chuckled as Yugi thanked him for finding it. Winter had a grin on her face at the fact that it had been found. He placed his grandson down on his feet and smiled down at him.

"I wasn't the one to find it," Grandpa stated, "A while ago one of your friends arrive at the store with it, he asked me to give it to you."

Yugi turned back to put the piece in the puzzle and Grandpa sent Winter a thankful smile. That 'friend' had informed him of all the problems his Grandson was having, he was glad that she hadn't been scared away. Not many people would have his Grandsons back. She gave him a sad one back and nodded before turning to watch Yugi put the last piece in. Grandpa quickly slipped the money his Grandson needed into his school bag and quietly left the two alone, giving a simple 'good night' to the two and receiving one from each of them.

"My hearts pounding," Yugi quietly stated.

"You can do it Yugi," Winter softly cheered.

Yugi placed the piece into the slot and the room was engulfed by a bright, golden light. Winter let out a small gasp and covered her eyes as a beam of light hit Yugi in the forehead. She winced and attempted to see what was happening. Yugi's shadow and her own grew until they stood up on the wall in a menacing way. Yugi's eyes turned a deep crimson and a golden eye of Horus stood out against his forehead. Winters' eyes grew wider at the change of her friend and her knees buckled slightly and she fell to the ground.

"Y-Yugi?" She called, reaching out towards her changed friend.

He turned and gave her a slightly insane smile. It softened as a hand was held out to her and she accepted it after a few seconds. She was helped up to her feet and she studied the Yugi in front of her. This Yugi wasn't really Yugi. He felt too different for it to be her friend. She tilted her head slightly. She had to call him something.

"So, who are you exactly?" She quietly asked.

"Who knows," he responded with a shrug.

"I guess I'll have to call you spirit for now, because you aren't Yugi it'd feel wrong to call you Yugi," She started rambling, she was very confused and nervous.

She had no clue what was going on. The spirit hummed at that as he grabbed the phone and dialed a number. She watched in amazement as he was able to call Ushio and ask him to meet at the school for the money. He turned to leave but she stopped him by grasping onto his wrist with a light grip. He turned to look at her and she sighed softly.

"I'm going along to make sure you have some form of first-aid," she informed him, her cheeks heating up.

There was something familiar about the spirit, she just couldn't put a finger on it. She pulled on her shoes and followed him. She couldn't help but think he moved fast for someone who was five feet tall. They made it to the school, and she walked behind him until he stopped at a piece of gymnastic equipment called a boxed vault. He looked at her and motioned for her to wait on the equipment. She nodded and took a seat on the equipment and he joined her with ease. She felt on edge as Ushio showed up and complained about Yugi not being around.

"Yo, Ushio," The spirit greeted.

"I have to say you deciding to pay up has lightened my mood," Ushio stated, "I don't know why you're wearing a costume, but whatever give it up already."

"I have it here, but I seem to have brought four hundred thousand by mistake," The spirit stated.

"Four hundred thousand?!" Ushio and Winter yelled in unison; His was full of greed while her's was genuine surprise.

"But there's a catch," The spirit stated, "Since handing the money over would be boring, we're going to play a game."

"A game?" Ushio asked.

"Yes," The spirit affirmed, jumping down from the vault and grinning manically at Ushio, "But this isn't any game, it's a shadow game. So, how about it if you win you get an extra two hundred thousand."

While Ushio thought about it Winter sent the spirit a concerned look. She did not like where this was going. She had to wonder how far he was going to go. If it would be traumatizing or murderous. There was no in-between with shadow games. She blinked at that. How'd she know that?

"Interesting," Ushio slowly grinned.

"To play we only need one tool," The spirit stated, "That knife you're hiding."

Ushio hummed and drew the knife from an inner pocket of his trench coat. He stabbed it into the wood of the vault and pinned Winter to the equipment by her sweatshirt. She glared at him as she attempted to get her ability to move back. That knife didn't want to be pulled out by her. The spirit seemed to grow angry at that and she felt a shiver go down her spine. There was someone she wouldn't want to piss off.

"Okay, the game is set," The spirit stated, grasping the handle of the knife and freeing her.

"Money and the knife?" Ushio asked.

Winter got up from her spot and moved to stand between the two. Almost like a referee. The spirit thought that she was most likely safe where she was standing. Her hazel eyes, which had been a shade darker the day before, met his and they showed her curiosity and worry.

"These are the rules," The spirit began, "The players take turns placing money on the top of their hands and stabbing through it with the knife. All the money on the knife goes to the player and then it's the opponent's turn."

He could almost feel the worry that Winter was projecting. He didn't spare her a glance as he felt the shadows wrap around him. He didn't even bat an eye at the fact that her shadow was slithering around the area in a snake-like fashion.

"The game ends when there are no more bills left," The spirit stated, "The winner is the one with the most bills, oh and if you stab your hand you automatically lose and give all of your winnings to the opponent."

"Turns out you do have guts," Ushio stated in a dark tone.

"One last thing," The spirit stated, "If you break a rule, you'll be cursed with a penalty game."

"Let's begin already!" Ushio snapped.

The two played Janken, or rather rock-paper-scissor, and the spirit won with paper over Ushio's rock. The bills were piled on his hand and he stabbed the knife into the stack on the top of his hand. He jostled the knife around before pulling it back and removing the stack of bills from his hand.

"Only ten bills," The spirit sounded amused, "I tried to use a lot of strength but not many stuck."

Ushio's turn was interesting since he used more strength then he intended to. Yet, he got twelve bills and chuckled darkly. The spirit wasn't fazed by that and Winter began to sweat nervously from the atmosphere between the two. Oddly enough the rest of her was freezing and it wasn't that cold of a night. She stayed quiet and watched as the two battled each other in a game of wills, she ignored the white clouds that came with each breath she took. The money pile began to grow smaller and smaller as the two took turns. She sent the spirit a look as he taunted his opponent. It was on Ushio's last turn that things got hectic.

"All this money will be mine!" Ushio stated.

He went to push the knife into the money but paused. He started to shake, and she started to get a bad feeling. He was staring at the money in a longing way and she moved towards the spirit. If the spirit noticed he didn't say anything.

"The answer is simple," Ushio growled, "there's a simpler way to get the all the money and not injure my other hand. I'm the one holding the knife, so I'll use it to defeat you Yugi."

Ushio swiped the knife at the spirit and Winter quickly moved him back. The spirit was surprised at the fact that she willingly faced a knife to keep him safe. He felt his power grow as a suitable penalty game came to mind.

"Just as I thought," He started, "You couldn't follow the rules. This eye can see what lies within your heart, you are nothing but a greedy bully who hurt my friends and attempted to steal money from me. Enjoy the illusion of greed."

"It's money!" Ushio shouted in glee, grabbing onto the leaf's that were falling from the trees.

Winter noted that it was suddenly warmer as the Spirit looked towards Ushio with a cold look domineering his face. His hands went into his pockets and he turned away from the scene, Winter following shortly.

"What did you do to him?" She asked.

"I made it so that the object of his greed would be all that he will see," He replied. "Are you hurt?"

Winter blinked at the question before remembering that the knife had been used to pin her sweatshirt to the vault. She flushed slightly at the question before answering.

"I-I'm fine," She stuttered, "Are you okay? He did attempt to kill you, Yami."

"Yami?" The spirit questioned.

"It fits," She shrugged, "You control darkness so the nickname fits. Friends give each other nicknames, right?"

She could be wrong in thinking that he was her friend too. Yami stared at her for a few seconds and watched as she slowly began to redden. Her cheeks had turned a light pink whenever she blushed, but now they were a bright red from her embarrassment. He smiled slightly and felt the insanity that plagued him quiet down.

"That's correct, hime," He teased.

She seemed to pout at the nickname before chuckling slightly. The two headed back to the Game shop and she removed her shoes. He watched as she yawned slightly before turning to him with a sleepy expression.

"'Night Yami," She quietly told him, heading up to the guest room for some needed sleep.

He stood there for a few seconds before heading back to his host's room. He laid in bed and switched back with his host who quickly fell asleep. The next day the two friends were woken up by Hana and given breakfast. Winter didn't know how to thank the Mutou family and Hana could tell.

"Just continue to be good friends with my son," She requested, "He needs them."

"It will be an honor Mutou-San," Winter honestly replied.

The two headed off to school with waves and farewells to Grandpa, who had gone to sweep in front of the store. Yugi was happily humming to himself, overjoyed that he had finished the puzzle. He missed the spectacle that was Ushio. Winter hadn't, she almost felt bad for Ushio. She shook her head and changed her shoes with Yugi. The two began to talk on the way to class and were stopped by Jounouchi.

"Yugi, Winter," Jounouchi stated, "How are your injuries?"

"I'm fine, how are you?" Yugi asked, Winter nodded that she was the same.

"I feel fine, speaking of which," Jounouchi scratched his cheek, "I also brought a treasure with me, want to see it?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: _A False Idol and Terrible Singers_

* * *

Winter stared at Sachiko as the woman leveled a glare at her Niece. Her Niece had gotten into deep trouble not even two months into the new school semester. The only thing that was stopping her from tearing her a new one was the small smile that was on the teens face. She eventually sighed in defeat before running a hand down her face. Winter's smile shifted into a sly one at the action of her Aunt sighing.

"You are still in trouble," Sachiko growled at the teen, "I told you not to cause problems."

"I wasn't going to let Yugi handle that situation alone," Winter calmly argued, "It would've been the fucked-up thing to do."

Sachiko sighed at that before reaching over the island counter and ruffling the teens hair. There were worst things she could be doing. Standing up for her friends was probably a good sign. She remembered something and walked from behind the island counter. A package had been sent to her from Industrial Illusions. She didn't even want to know how Winter knew Pegasus.

"You got a package yesterday," Sachiko informed the teen.

"I did?" Winter muttered, accepting the box from her aunt.

She opened it and blinked in surprise at the smaller boxes sitting inside of it. A letter sat on top and she picked it up. She measured the weight and began to question who the sender was. Who would use parchment in this time and age? She looked towards Sachiko and noticed that the woman in question was making some Tamagoyaki for the bentos. She used her pointer finger to gently tear open the envelope and brought out the letter. The letter was also written on parchment and the writing that covered it was a neat script that showed that it was handwritten.

Miss Doyle,

Congratulations! Your win in my competition caused quite a stir with a few of the directors on the board of my company. They all thought a boy had created the Dark Magician Girl; it was quite funny to watch them learn that a girl had done so. Inside these boxes are a few premium cards that were the reward for the contest. You also have a guaranteed guest spot in my next grand tournament. Hopefully, we can meet and converse over cards upon our first meeting.

Pleasantly awaiting more correspondence,

Pegasus J. Crawford

CEO of Industrial Illusions

Winter blinked at that before rereading the letter in surprise. She grabbed the box and quickly sprinted towards her room to hide it. If Pegasus had sent her rare cards, then she would be a target for card hunters. She knelt and tucked the box under her bed and looked towards the small alarm clock on her bedside table. She let out a silent curse at the time. She grabbed her school items and sprinted back down the stairs. Sachiko had put all the bentos together and Winter gave her a small smile of gratitude. She picked up the bentos by the cloth wrapping and moved to go put on her shoes. She paused upon seeing the third pair of shoes at the front walkway.

"Hey, is Grandad back?" Winter asked.

"Yes, he got back last night and is resting," Sachiko smiled.

Winter gained an ecstatic grin and pulled on her shoes before heading out the front door to the bus station. She was feeling better than she had in weeks. Her hands were mostly healed up, though the areas from her scuffle with Ushio were still red and angry, and she could see some of her natural skin color showing, though her hands were going to be scarred for the rest of her life. She stopped at her bus stop and noted that the two students that took the bus with her were being stranger than usual. The lavender haired one was muttering darkly to himself and the Elvis look-alike was banging his head to some heavy metal that had a horrendous singer. She was a bit unnerved by them and she attempted to ignore the pit in her stomach.

The bus pulled up and she showed her pass to the driver who gave her a smile. She smiled back and took a seat near the front as the two boys headed towards the back of the bus. She sighed in relief at that and watched as the old ladies around her did different things. One of the ladies was knitting some socks for her grandson and another was making a scarf for her daughter. It was strange that they'd do that but not talk to one another. She got off in front of the school and gave a very small yawn as she looked towards the arriving students. She smiled slightly as she caught sight of Jounouchi and Yugi. She headed towards them and then flushed at the topic of their discussion.

"Are you two seriously talking about porn in public?" Winter questioned.

Jounouchi gave a sheepish grin at that as Yugi shyly smiled. She shook her head in disbelief before chuckling slightly. She could always leave it to those two to surprise her. Jounouchi seemed to notice that she wasn't mad and relaxed slightly. Years of being around one Mazaki Anzu has left him a little on the defensive when it came to girls. It was hard to tell how one would react to them talking about certain topics.

"Good Morning, Winter-Chan!" Yugi greeted.

"Good morning, Yugi-Kun," Winter greeted back.

The three began to walk into the schools' courtyard when Jounouchi noticed something that Winter had missed. A TV van was parked outside of the school and he began to wonder why it was there. He got excited as the idea of an idol visiting the school made itself known in the forefront of his mind. He grinned at that. He would love to meet an idol.

"Guys look, there's a TV van in front of the school!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"So, there is," Winter stated, her eyes wide, "You think it's someone important?"

"Like an idol?" Yugi and Jounouchi asked in unison.

She sighed at that and headed towards the van to peer inside. She made a face upon noticing that the windows on the van were all one-way. She frowned as she felt something off inside the van. It was a sketchy feeling and she had no clue where it was coming from. She was almost scared of what was happening to herself. She'd never been this paranoid before. Wait, there was that time she stayed up for two days on a row. She was brought out of her thoughts when Yugi stepped up to the van.

She watched as Yugi stood on the tips of his toes to peer into the van. She giggled slightly when he squished his face to attempt to see. When the tips of his ears turned red, she began to wonder if he was okay. She shared a look with Jounouchi, and he shrugged as he grinned.

"You trying to catch an idol, Yugi?" Jounouchi teased.

"I can't see anything, I think it's a one-way window," Yugi called to the two, his voice muffled by the glass.

"Y-Yugi-kun, we're going to be late for class," Winter told him, fighting off the laughter that wanted to spill out of her.

Yugi nodded and stepped away from the car. He regrouped with his two friends and Winter sighed in relief. It had been hilarious when Yugi had smushed his face against the glass. The three went inside and changed their shoes before heading to class. They didn't know that inside the van a dark-haired man was chuckling darkly to himself. He had a picture of Yugi in his hands and a greedy looked crossed his face.

"He'll be the star of my new project," The man stated.

While the students were in school the TV van turned out to be in the use of a documentary group. Their documentary was about bullying in schools and how bad it can end up being. The woman they got to narrate was a busty brunette with a beautiful face. She thought it was for a news report, that was what it said in the job description at least. There was a bell and some students came outside for recess. The dark-haired man put his plan into action.

"An idol?" Anzu's voice stated, disbelief coating her words.

"Yeah," Jounouchi stated, "The TV van parked outside is enough evidence, right Yugi?"

"W-Well…" Yugi softly stated.

"If it were true then someone would've seen this idol already," Anzu stated, leaning onto Winter's desk as the dark-haired teen drew.

She was drawing a mechanical dragon of all things. Anzu smiled slightly at that and chuckled at the small Dark Magician girl and Dark Magician in the corner reacting to the dragon. Those two seemed to be her go-to characters for drawing. It was almost weird how she always drew them with such distinct personalities.

"And the student council hasn't said anything about an Idol," Anzu pointed out, "We would've been warned to make sure nothing happened to them."

"Some people would try to corner an Idol," Winter agreed, "That'd look bad on the school if something like that happened."

"That's it! She's probably disguised as a student!" Jounouchi gave a sly grin, "But I'm going to get her alone and unmask her."

Yugi, Winter, and Anzu thought about what he said. Anzu turned a dangerous shade of red as she glared at the blonde. Yugi flushed slightly and noted that Winter was looking at Jounouchi in surprise. Truthfully, she couldn't tell if he was joking or not, she hoped that he was. Anzu yanked on Jounouchi's ear and he yelped in surprise and slight pain.

"That's a crime!" Anzu yelled at him, "They'd throw the book at you."

"There's no penalty for stripping!" Jounouchi argued.

"Indecent exposure," Winter pointed out, he looked at her in slight betrayal.

"How about the television van?" Yugi turned to Winter.

"Yeah, it is pretty weird that it's here," Winter agreed, she then stood up and stretched, "Mazaki-San is right, the student council would've been warned ahead of time about an idol."

Yugi tilted his head at that and noticed that she was pushing in her chair. He couldn't help but notice that her gloves were a navy blue instead of the white. He quickly looked up at her face and she smiled at him. He found himself smiling back as she went in between Jounouchi and Anzu. The two stopped fighting and she smiled at them.

"Jounouchi-kun, Anzu-Chan is right," She started, "But if there is an idol you can always ask them for a picture."

The blonde gave a pout at that and nodded as Anzu smiled at having someone on her side. Usually, Yugi didn't want to get involved due to past experiences. Neither girl could blame him for that. Winter looked towards the clock and her smile fell slightly.

"I need to head to the nurse's office," Winter quietly attempted to excuse herself, "I need to use some medicine."

"We'll go with you," Yugi informed her.

"Yeah, it gives us a good chance to search for the Idol by ourselves," Jounouchi stated.

"I have to assign clean-up duties, you three go on without me," Anzu smiled, she had seen the burns on accident while exiting a stall in the girl's bathroom.

She turned as the three exited the classroom and a sad expression played on her face. She wondered what could've happened to have caused such burns. Even the small glimmers of sadness that lurked behind the surface of joy caused Anzu to question how Winter hadn't broken down yet. She knew it was an inevitability. It was just one she didn't want to see happen.

"You sure you're okay?" Jounouchi asked Winter.

"Yeah, it's just some new medication for my hands," Winter explained as she held up her hands and flexed her fingers, "They look better, but the medicine is an attempt to lighten the color a bit."

Yugi nodded in understanding as she gave the two a wave and headed to the nurse's office. Jounouchi looked down at the ground with a frown on his face. He remembered thinking that her hands were scary when she helped him after Ushio beat him to a pulp. He felt horrible about that; he just couldn't figure out what he could do to apologize for such thoughts without bringing attention to the fact that he even had them to begin with. He shook those thoughts from his head and decided to think about it later. He looked towards Yugi and grinned, he had some very important business to attend to.

"Let's go find that Idol!" He stated.

Yugi gave a wistful smile at that and followed alongside his friend. At least he was going to have an interesting day. He was doubtful that there was an idol, but if there was, he was going to be sure to get a picture or an autograph from her. They walked down a hallway and he had a sudden thought.

"Maybe that van is here to cover something else," Yugi pointed out.

"Not you too," Jounouchi exclaimed in mock hurt, holding a hand to his chest in a slightly dramatic fashion to show that his feelings truly weren't hurt, "I think I'll just go search for her myself then."

He headed off and Yugi felt guilty because of what he had said. That didn't last long when a brunette with a headband stopped him in the hallway. Yugi couldn't place where he had seen the student before. In fact, he didn't even know who this student was. He smiled uneasily at the student and waited to be talked to.

"My name is Fujita," The student introduced himself.

"N-Nice to meet you," Yugi stammered.

"I know that there's an idol at the school," Fujita stated, "Have you heard anything about that, Yugi-kun?"

"Wow! There's really an Idol?!" Yugi exclaimed, a wide grin appearing on his face.

"Of course," Fujita nodded, "I think the two of you would get along, how about I introduce the two of you?"

"Thank you!" Yugi stated.

"The Idol is behind the school gym, make sure to go alone," Fujita stated, "She's pretty nervous around people."

Fujita walked off and Yugi quietly jumped up and down for joy before he headed to the nurse's office to ask Winter a question. He missed the diabolical grin that appeared on Fujita's face as he rushed off. He didn't miss the look of surprise and shock on Winters' face when he entered the office. He suddenly turned sheepish and looked at her hands. She was right, they did look a lot better.

"Yugi-Kun? What's wrong?" She asked.

"What kind of flowers do girls like?" He shyly asked as his cheeks began to turn warm.

"It depends on the girl," Winter stated, rubbing the back of her head at such a strange question, "I for one adore sunflowers and my Okaa-San loved wildflowers. Sorry, I'm not much help."

"No! You were very helpful!" Yugi exclaimed, "Thank you!"

Yugi rushed off and Winter shared a look with the nurse who chuckled softly. The nurse wondered if he was asking for her or for another girl. She finished the bandaging Winter's hands and the teen pulled her gloves back on before leaving the office. The dark-haired teen stood still for a few seconds and her eyes grew wide. She felt danger and she knew exactly who it was directed at. She took off in a sprint to find Jounouchi her stomach churning the entire time. She found him around the lockers, and she stopped to catch her breath, ignoring the wheezing that came with each breath.

"What's wrong?" Jounouchi asked.

"I think Yugi's in danger," She stated, "He's behind the gym."

She didn't even question how she knew that she just did. Jounouchi nodded in understanding and the two took off towards the gym to help Yugi. She felt as though she was going to regret all the running she was doing. The doctors told her to take it easy for a few months. She didn't have a few months to wait, her friend was in danger now. The two made their way outside and came upon a scene of a much older man beating up Yugi.

"Yugi!" Winters shout caused the man to back away as Jounouchi rushed forward to confront him.

Winter caught Yugi before he fell and was looking over him with worry. He attempted to smile but got a frown in return. He was heavily bruised, and his nose was bleeding. She gently prodded at it with her thumbs and was slightly relieved that it wasn't broken.

"What the hell were you doing to our friend?!" Jounouchi growled at the man.

"I didn't really want to, the director made me do it," The man stated.

"Director? What kind of director makes someone beat up a kid?" Winter questioned in a scathing tone.

"Fujita, that's enough," a man with dark hair stated, walking up towards the group, "I'll take over from here."

"You made him do this to Yugi?" Jounouchi asked.

The man simply smiled in response and Jounouchi glared at him. Even if he wouldn't admit that the glare Winter was giving the man easily surpassed his own. She could be scary when she wanted to be, and at this point in time, she didn't care about anything but hurting the man who hurt her best friend. She could consider Yugi that because she knew he had her back. A glint of gold caught her attention and she knew that her anger was shared by Yami. She couldn't explain it, she couldn't explain much anymore, but she knew he was just as angry as she was.

"Yugi, are you going to be okay?" Winter gently asked, looking down at her friend as he sat up.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to see the Idol," Yugi muttered.

"Is that what those creeps promised you?!" Jounouchi asked.

"Okay cut! We didn't come here to film a teenage drama," The director stated, "It's a waste of film. Yugi-Kun was just unlucky enough to be cast for the role of a bullied kid."

"Bastard," Winter hissed.

"It really was an unlucky roll of the dice," The director stated.

Winter froze at the word dice and she felt it would be a suitable punishment if his happiness was ruined by the role of the dice. That scared her, a sudden weight in the pocket of her skirt scared her even more as she reached into it and wrapped her fingers around two cubes. She almost screamed in fear but kept her mind focused on her anger towards the man. He needed to pay for what he did, and she knew exactly how he was going to pay.

"But thanks to him we filmed an episode so good that the audience will have no choice but to feel sorry for him," The director laughed, "Yugi-kun is the hero of my broadcast!"

"I'm going to kill you," Jounouchi growled, he was about to move forward but a grip on the back of his jacket stopped him.

He turned and met Winter's eyes. The normal hazel was a hardened gold and his own eyes widened at the flecks of crimson that were slowly showing. She was livid, and he stopped in his tracks. He could almost feel the anger rolling off her in waves. Her eyes slowly moved towards the director. More crimson showed as her anger increased, he could see something appear on her forehead, but it was too bright outside to make out what it was.

"He's goading you," Winter calmly informed him, "The cameras are still rolling anything you would've done would have been caught on film."

"You brat!" The director growled, losing his triumphant smirk, "Let's get out of here."

The crew left and Yugi was helped up to his feet. Winter had sent Jounouchi for her first-aid kit and he had taken off in a sprint. She was looking over Yugi's injuries when he suddenly closed his eyes and she felt the shift between the two. Yami opened his eyes and she stood up. He looked just as livid as she had been not only moments before.

"We still have school," She informed him, "There's only one class left, and then you can go."

"If you say so," Yami muttered, his anger on the back burner as she began to lead him back inside the school by his hand.

Jounouchi met up with them halfway and noted that both of their eyes had crimson in them. He didn't know that Yugi's eyes could get that deep of a red, they always seemed more of a light pink when he was in direct light. He handed over the kit and watched as she fixed Yugi with a look and he sat down. Yami couldn't believe that he had to act like his host and be in school. He needed to punish the man who dared to hurt his host. He winced as Winter cleaned the small cuts on his face before putting a small butterfly Band-Aid on the worst one. She closed the kit and placed it back in her bag. The teacher came in and gave the lesson.

Yami stared at the board as Winter played with the dice in her hands. She had no clue where they had come from, now that she had time to think about it without her anger powering her emotions. It appeared when she thought of a 'punishment' that was suitable for the director. She placed the dice on Yami's desk, and he quickly pocketed them. He had followed the same train of thought she had. He noted her slight frown before it smoothed as she sighed. She had to figure out what was going on, and soon.

The class ended and all the students filed out of the room. Yami had a slightly insane smile on his face as he walked out of the classroom without stopping to talk to Jounouchi or Winter. Jounouchi turned to Winter and she sighed quietly. She looked around and noted that everyone was gone before she motioned for him to come closer. He leaned towards her and she decided to give him the SparkNotes edition of what was going on.

"You know Yugi's puzzle, right?" She asked, he nodded, and she continued, "Turns out it belonged to a pharaoh three thousand years ago and whoever completed it would gain the power of the pharaoh. Turns out that power was the spirit of the puzzle itself."

"So Yugi is possessed?" He questioned.

"You are taking this pretty well, but yes," She answered with a small nod, "The spirit seems to be invested in keeping Yugi safe, if he was truly a harm to Yugi I would've attempted to tell Yugi."

"We should follow him," He stated, even if this was weird it was his friend that was in possible danger.

"Yeah, he's going to punish the director with a shadow game," She nodded as the two headed out of the classroom and changed their shoes, "What do you think happened to Ushio."

"Remind me not to get on the spirits bad side," He attempted to joke.

"Agreed," She smiled slightly at his attempt, "But like I said his main prerogative seems to be protecting Yugi, he's actually kind of nice once you get past his insanity."

"Insanity?" He questioned.

"You try being sealed for three thousand years, most likely in darkness, you see how sane you are," She answered.

He had to give her that one, it explained so much with how Yugi had been acting after the two came back to the classroom. A spirit possessing his small friend was almost too weird to think about. His slight fear of curses reared its head and he shivered slightly as Winter followed her instincts to find Yami. Jounouchi decided that he'd help protect his friend and the spirit, Winter seemed dead set on going and he didn't want to be left out. The two followed the spirit all the way to the Z-TV satiation. They went all the way into the parking lot and finally caught up with the spirit, who seemed just a tad annoyed at them being there.

"I'm here to make sure no one gets hurt," Winter stated.

"Yugi's my friend and you seem to be trying to help him, I've got your back as well," Jounouchi attempted to put his feelings into words.

Yami looked at the two of them in surprise before a genuine smile appeared on his face. He gave a regal nod and then turned his gaze towards the director. The spark of insanity was back and Jounouchi almost backed up into Winter when he scooted away from the anger coming from his friend's body. He looked back and noticed the flecks of crimson in Winter's eyes and sighed quietly. He wondered if she had some dark power as well, the more he wondered the more likely it was.

"I've been waiting, Director-San," Yami just about purred.

"Didn't we just get here?" Jounouchi whispered to Winter.

"It sounds good?" She questioned with a shrug, "Are you going to tell him different?"

They both looked towards Yami and shivered slightly. Neither was going to point out clichés to the spirit. They didn't want him angry at them. Winter watched as the director jumped before sighing at seeing the spirit. He underestimated his opponent; it was good on the spirits side but bad on the director's side.

"Don't tell me that you're here for an actors fee," The director sneered, Winter held Jounouchi back as he got ready to pummel the man.

"You've walked into a realm of my control," Yami stated, "Therefore, you must be my opponent in a game."

"A game?" Jounouchi and the director asked in unison.

"Yes, a shadow game," Winter quietly explained, "The loser faces a penalty and so does a cheater, Ushio was given an illusion of greed so that all the garbage he saw was money. It's almost justice but crooked at the same time, think of it as just desserts."

"I see," Jounouchi muttered after a few seconds, he could see where it made sense.

Punish those who harm others, even he wouldn't pass up a power like that. He noted that Winter was leaning on the hood of the car they hid behind. He knew exactly why there were hiding, the spirit had given them a pointed look and Winter had dragged him over to the nearest car, but he couldn't figure out why she was so invested in learning what the game was. She had an interest in it that was scaring him slightly.

"We'll play using this die," Yami stated, tossing the die into the air and catching it with ease, "Since the era of ancient Egypt, dice have been used to determine a man's fate at that point they were called astragalus and were made from the bones of an animal making it round and crooked compared to modern day dice."

"I guess you learn something every day," Jounouchi muttered, he was going to remember that information for the rest of his life.

Winter gave an amused smile at that and watched the dice get thrown up into the air than land in the palm of the spirit. She knew there was a second one in his pocket, she had given both to him. She didn't know why he kept only one out. She had to know what game he was playing; it would explain it.

"Now for the rules to this game," Yami stated, "After I roll the die if you roll a smaller number you win. If the number is the same as mine, you still win. If I win you will suffer a penalty game."

"That's stupid, how am I supposed to win with such odds?" The director asked.

"Let's begin," Yami smirked, letting the die fall from his hand and clatter to the floor.

It tumbled for a while before a red six was shown. Jounouchi growled slightly at that and Winter narrowed her eyes in agreement. Did he set himself up to lose? That didn't sound like Yami to her. He had a plan, didn't he?

"Ha-ha a six! I don't even have to throw the die," The director laughed.

"You seem certain," Yami pointed out, "But the games not over yet."

By those words, she knew he had something planned. She just didn't know what. The director muttered to himself as he picked up the die and rolled it in his hand. She felt sweat travel down her face and noted that it felt freezing against her skin. Indeed, the entire area seemed darker than before and it was colder.

"Have it your way," The director stated, throwing the die at Yami, "While I'm at it I'll leave a hole in your face."

Jounouchi got up first and Winter was about to join him when they both saw Yami lift the puzzle to intercept the die. A small clanking sound signified the die hitting the gold and Winter stood still in her tracks. She almost looked frozen as her eyes glazed over and a gold eye appeared on her forehead. She was aware of what was going on, but at the same time she wasn't.

"Ha-ha I've won, I rolled a one," The director stated.

"Now you will face a penalty game," Yami stated.

"The die broke, he rolled a seven," Jounouchi stated in disbelief.

"Penalty game, the illusion of mosaic," Yami stated, pointing at the director who began to scream after a few minutes.

Everything that man saw had become mosaic. Winter blinked at the sound of his screams and the gold eye on her forehead disappeared. She felt like she missed something. She looked towards the screaming director and then towards Jounouchi who was giving the spirit a pat on the back. She heard a quiet whisper and turned to look behind her, she made a face at the absence of a person standing there. She felt as though she was missing something, and she didn't know what it was.

"We should start heading home," She quietly announced.

"Right," Yami nodded.

Jounouchi stood there for a few seconds and Winter got a distinct feeling that he didn't want to go home. She knew that her Aunt was a big softie and wouldn't force a kid to walk home in the dark. She smirked on the inside and gave Jounouchi a small smile. He also looked like he needed a good meal.

"Would you like to come over Jounouchi-kun? My aunts a really good cook," Winter asked, she sent a look to the spirit who was already walking away, "My Jiji got back from America and might want to meet one of my friends."

"Sure," Jounouchi sighed, he was going to take up an opportunity to get a good meal.

He'd have to be an idiot to pass it up. The two walked towards the nearest bus station and Winter paid for him to ride, after all, he was going to be a guest in her house. She'd feel like an ass if she didn't pay for him to come over. They took a seat in the middle of the bus and they noted all the elderly ladies that were knitting and talking to each other quietly.

"Do you live in an area full of the elderly?" Jounouchi asked.

"I have no clue, but it is a possibility," Winter replied.

Her stop came up and the two exited the bus and she led the way to her home. Jounouchi eyes the graves surrounding the area and noted the fresh flowers and incense that stood in front of each grave. He hurried to catch up to Winter as she opened the front door to the two-story house. It was warm inside and has such a homey air to it. He immediately felt welcomed.

"I'm home and I brought a friend!" She called.

"Of course, you did," Sachiko stated, looking into the hallway as Winter and Jounouchi removed their shoes and put on house slippers, "Your Jiji is inside looking sad, go give him a hug."

"Okay," Winter grinned and headed into the kitchen, "Hello, Jiji."

Jounouchi followed and Sachiko sighed quietly at him. He looked like he needed a good meal. There was something about him that reminded her of an ex-girlfriend she had. Her father had been horrible to her Ex and forced them to split up after finding out about the two. She had promised herself that she'd help kids in bad homes. She gave a sardonic smile, leave it to her niece to find a friend from a bad home. She looked towards Winter, who was currently held in a bear hug by her Grandfather and smiled softly. She was a good kid.

"Can't…breathe…" Winter fought out, her grandpa let her down before giving Jounouchi a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Akahoshi Akira," The old man introduced himself.

"I'm Jounouchi Katsuya, the pleasure is mine, sir," Jounouchi stated.

He may be a delinquent, but he still had his manners. Akira laughed in a good-natured way and motioned to the seat next to him. Jounouchi nervously took a seat and Winter sat across from him after catching her breath, he did catch a wheeze every once and a while. The look she shot Akira was one that Jounouchi classified as a pout. He gave a small snicker and almost started to laugh when she turned it on him.

"All right, dinner is served," Sachiko told them.

The plates were placed on the table and Jounouchi's stomach let out a loud growl as everyone gave their thanks for the food. Winter easily got her food and was taking small bites that Jounouchi recognizes from lunch with Yugi. He bit into the food and didn't resurface until his plate was clean. Sachiko chuckled at that as Winter started to gather up the dirty plates.

"I'll help too," Jounouchi offered.

He didn't even give Winter the chance to decline and was already helping by washing the dishes. She dried them and put them away. Sachiko shared a look with Akira and the old man sighed. He knew that look; it was the 'we need to help that boy' look. He still had some left-over legal documents for guardianship. It seemed he was going to spend more time in a court that he wanted to. He heard a slight yelp and looked towards a laughing Jounouchi and Winter. She had water down the front of her uniform and wasn't upset by that. He smiled softly. It reminded him of when his two daughters were still children. He missed having a noisy house.

"Hey, Winter," Sachiko called, "I need you to model something for me."

"Okay," Winter stated, putting the last dish away.

Jounouchi watched as the two women went up the stairs and smiled to himself. He couldn't help but wonder if this is what his family could've been like if his father wasn't an alcoholic. He looked towards the dining table and noted Akira sitting there. He felt worried for the older man.

"What's wrong, Jiji?" He asked.

"You remind me of a girl Sachiko used to know," Akira admitted, "Her father was an alcoholic and abusive."

Jounouchi couldn't hold in the flinch at that. Akira sighed softly and ruffled the blonde's hair and smiled. He hadn't meant to upset the boy. Jounouchi couldn't help but think that Winter was just like the older man. She had his nose.

"You are welcomed here," Akira told him, "If you want me to I can fight for guardianship over you, I may not be family, but I have a good standing in the legal circle of the courts here."

"I-I would appreciate that," Jounouchi truthfully said.

No one had ever fought for him before, then again, he'd never told anyone about his problems. His mother had left his father while taking his baby sister with her. He had a chance to be free from his father, he was going to take it. He felt as though a burden had been lifted from his shoulders and for the first time, he felt light. Akira showed him a nicely decorated guest room and he looked at the nice bed and desk before it hit him that he was going to stay in this house. Winter looked out of Sachiko's room and he caught sight of a fall-ready dress. It was black with brown and gold leaves on the skirt. She looked cute in that girl next door kind of way or even the sisterly kind of way.

She hurried to her room and hid in there as Sachiko came out chuckling to herself. A few spools of fabric under her arms. Akira and Jounouchi shared a look and then sighed in unison before bidding each other a nice night. Jounouchi went to bed happy and excited for the next day. For the first time in a long time, he was truly excited for school.

The next morning, he walked down the stairs in a clean school uniform. It was a bit of an older style of uniform, but it still fit him. Winter was already at the breakfast table finishing some last-minute homework and he paused before running up to grab his. He ran back down and took his seat from last night and started with the homework. Winter moved and began to help him as she quickly finished hers. He sighed in relief as it was finished by the time Sachiko finished making breakfast and bentos. Jounouchi quickly ate his food and he felt disbelief as Winter easily finished before him and grinned slightly.

"I don't want to hear about any trouble from you two," Sachiko informed them as they pulled in their shoes.

"Okay," They both stated, heading out the front door.

"She's inducted you into the family, can I call you Katsuya-nii?" Winter teased in a friendly way.

Jounouchi flushed at that and gave her a light punch to the shoulder. She laughed it off as they waited for the bus. The two had made plans to go get his clothes after school and Akira had surprised him by sneaking a bus pass into his school jackets pocket. He was a little unnerved by that.

"Is your Jiji psychic?" Jounouchi asked.

"No he's just very observant," Winter smiled, "He used to work as a police officer until his Grandfather passed away and left him the house at the cemetery."

"Ah, that makes sense," Jounouchi muttered before noticing something, "You ride the bus with Souzouji? Damn, how has he not targeted you for his monthly karaoke session?"

"Oh, the discount Elvis?" Winter questioned, "I always sit in the front, I think Yugi takes this bus as well, he just gets off at an earlier stop. Want to look for him this morning?"

"Sure," Jounouchi shrugged.

They were almost thwarted when the crowd in the bus pushed forward as Souzouji went to the back. Jounouchi caught Winter as she was jostled harshly by the crowd of people. He sent a glare towards the male who gave an apologetic look before moving to make room so that they could move. The bus stopped and Jounouchi barely had time to hold onto the overhead rail as people stumbled to gain their footing.

"I think I see him," Winter stated as she caught sight of the tips of Yugi's hair.

"Where is he?" Jounouchi asked.

He didn't get an answer as the bus started again and Winter was pushed to the back of the bus by the bodies of people around her. She landed on her butt in the back and noted someone else who had fallen next to her. Yugi looked up at her in surprise as she chuckled sheepishly before getting up to her feet. He blinked slightly when she turned towards him with concern on her face.

"Are you all right?" She asked, extending a hand to help him up.

"Yeah," Yugi nodded, accepting the hand as she pulled him up with ease, "You take this bus too?"

"So does Jounouchi," Winter stated, deciding to let Jounouchi tell their friends that he was staying at her house, "I got separated from him when the bus halted."

The bus stopped again, and Winter was sent back into the crowd. Yugi couldn't help it as a small smile tugged up at his lips. It was funny that someone so sure-footed could be defeated by the movement on a bus. He turned and noticed Souzouji and started to sneak his way back into the crowd.

"Wait a second, Yugi!" Souzouji yelled.

Yugi jumped and gave a small squeak before turning towards the much taller student. Souzouji patted the seat next to him. Yugi gave a quiet gulp and sighed before walking over and sitting down next to the teen. It ended up being a pretty tight fit.

"I've been meaning to talk to you Yugi," Souzouji stated, "I'll be holding one of my 'all night solo live shows', how'd you like to come along and hear my magnificent voice?"

Yugi made a face at that and remembered the students whose hearing had been damaged by Souzouji. It was one of those rumors that traveled around the school with the means to warn the student body. He suddenly felt nervous as Souzouji grinned at him. He almost gave a nod but stopped himself from doing so.

"Now then Yugi, I want you to handle these ten tickets to the solo," Souzouji stated, "For the low price of two thousand yen a person can come to hear my singing voice, be sure to get lots of girls."

The tickets were thrust into his hands and he began to sweat as Souzouji cracked his knuckles in a menacing way. He moved as far back as he could in the seat, but he was followed by the larger student. Souzouji got into Yugi's face and he began to feel even more nervous. He was not in a good spot.

"The party's in three days, but you already know what'll happen if you don't sell any tickets," Souzouji threatened.

Yugi nodded and noticed Winter emerging from the crowd with a very hassled looking Jounouchi. The two spotted him and Winter sent Souzouji a scathing look as his two friends grabbed onto him and brought him towards the middle of the bus. He sighed in relief as they grabbed onto the railing and kept a hand on his shoulder. Yugi was thankful for that and jumped when two thousand yen from each was presented to him.

"Like we'd let you suffer," Winter informed him, he was attempting to tell the two that they shouldn't have to suffer, "You're our best friend, Yugi."

His cheeks heated up at that as he handed over two tickets to the taller students. Jounouchi seemed happier than usual and Winter had climbed out of her shell being around the two of them. Such observations lightened his mood as Winter grinned down at him. They quietly talked until their stop. When they got off the bus and headed to their classroom, they noticed a few of the gossiping girls point at Winter.

"How do you ignore them so well?" Jounouchi asked.

"I have some pretty thick skin sometimes, my Okaa-San used to say I was pretty oblivious sometimes," Winter stated before smirking, "I have some pretty good selective hearing."

Jounouchi snorted at that as Yugi nodded in agreement. They split up to change shoes and regrouped at the stairs. Anzu joined them in the classroom and she started to talk to Winter. She had heard that Chono was gunning for the dark-haired teen and wanted to give her a heads up. She got a thankful smile in return and she smiled back. The teacher walked in and all conversations stopped while the lessons began. It ended up being a rather normal day.

In fact, the three days passed without any problems. Jounouchi became a stable part of the Akahoshi household since his father happily signed the guardianship papers. He was looking down at the ticket that he had bought from Yugi and heard some argument outside his door. Sachiko had forced Winter into a dress, and he saw the angry pout. He snickered the entire time they spent on the bus. The only time he stopped was when crimson flecks started to appear in her eyes.

"You don't like dresses?" Jounouchi asked.

"I don't like being forced into dresses," Winter huffed.

They got off at the karaoke bar and Winter sighed quietly. She had such a bad feeling about this that one could've called her Winter Kenobi. She opened the door and Jounouchi walked in first and gave the woman working the counter their tickets. They got a very sympathetic wince and she motioned to the room they had to go into. They walked in just as Souzouji was about to growl at Yugi.

"Sorry we're late," Winter gently announced, "The bus was running a bit late today."

Yugi sighed in relief as Winter sat down next to him and Jounouchi plopped down on his other side. The two of them then turned serious expressions towards Souzouji. The teen backed up from the intensity of the stares and noticed the crimson flecks appearing in Winters' eyes. He quickly passed out headphones to the three friends and they all put them on with different levels of apprehension. Jounouchi was, of course, the bravest of the three and slammed them onto his head.

"Are you okay?" Winter asked, watching him curl up in slight pain, "That looked pretty painful."

"Could you be more apathetic about it?" Jounouchi sarcastically asked, "I don't think you have been yet."

She smiled sweetly and placed her headphones over her ears. In the silence, her ears began to ring slightly, and it slowly began to annoy her. The three friends shared a look and missed Souzouji turning the volume all the way up to maximum. They all jumped when a sudden screeching sound began. Winter let out a rather loud curse that got picked up by the mic and Jounouchi was still able to snort at it even with the pain in his head. Yugi stared at the two in disbelief as they both rubbed at their temples.

"The fuck man," Winter groaned.

That seemed to be enough to bring out Yami. He glared at Souzouji as he gently removed Winter's headphones with ease. She rubbed at her ears and attempted to stop the ringing that was filling her ears. Jounouchi followed suit and removed his headphones as well. Souzouji noted the change in Yugi and backed up slightly. He knew that there was something strange the moment that Yugi had gotten serious.

"What the hell happened?" Souzouji quietly asked, the microphone in his hand making it impossible for him to be truly quiet, "Weren't you a gutless kid a few seconds ago?"

"Are you cowardly Souzouji?" Yami asked, "If not then you should have no qualms about playing a game against little old me."

"He's getting worse," Jounouchi muttered to Winter.

"Yes, he is," Winter nodded her agreement. "Should we stage an intervention?"

"Not yet," Jounouchi replied.

Yami looked at the two of them in disbelief and narrowed his eyes at the two. They shared a look and in their dizzied state before chuckling quietly. He sighed at that as Souzouji freaked out even more at the blasé attitude the two were having. He couldn't believe that they weren't taking this seriously.

"A game?" He asked, "What kind of game?"

"A game of silence," Yami smirked, Winter reached up and grabbed a Pierrot doll and bumped it into his hand, "We'll play with this. I'll let Hime tell you the rules."

"Okay, in a game of silence no sound can be made in the room," Winter began, "The first to make a sound and make the Pierrot move loses and will face a penalty game. Anyone who cheats will also face a penalty game. That sound about right?"

"That was perfect," Yami softly stated.

Jounouchi and Winter gave each other a high-five and Yami stopped himself from shaking his head in slight disbelief. Those two must be suffering from the loud screeching of one Souzouji. The teen in question scoffed quietly and gave an arrogant smirk at that and sat down across from the trio. Winter closed her eyes for a few seconds, the outcome of the game was already decided before it started.

"I accept the challenge," He stated.

"Game start," Yami quietly stated.

It then became deathly quiet in the room and the two who were slowly getting over their migraines looked between the two as one would a tennis match. Souzouji was slowly getting annoyed by the two and Winter gave an inward smirk. She wasn't part of the game so she could mess with him as much as she wanted. Jounouchi was just following her lead. Souzouji was tempted to growl at the two and his eyes widened as a thumping sound began to fill the air. A smirk appeared on Yami's face. The Pierrot began to dance as the thumping grew louder.

"I guess you shouldn't have had that Mic on maximum volume," Jounouchi stated.

"Now you face a penalty game," Yami stated, an insane smile spread across his face, "How about you be silent for a while?"

Souzouji went to say something, but nothing came out. He stood there attempting to say something for a few minutes before he started to cry. The three got up and exited the room with a strange expression playing on their faces. Winter seemed to be a little disoriented from a headache and Jounouchi was snickering quietly at that and she sent him a small glare. Yami smirked in an amused way and the three shared a grin as they passed the woman who was manning the counter. She looked at them in confusion and Winter gave her an unsure smile.

"He blew out his voice and we took the chance to run before he could do anything," She explained.

"Thank Kami," The woman muttered, "I hope he stays away for a while."

The group chose to ignore that and headed outside. Yami watched as Jounouchi stretched slightly and got ready to relinquish control back to Yugi. He did so and the smaller teen blinked in confusion as he looked around and noticed Jounouchi and Winter talking about the bus schedule. The conversation quickly turned to groceries.

"Yeah, but Aunt Sachiko asked us to pick up a few items from the grocery store," Winter pointed out.

"Did she give us a list?" Jounouchi asked.

"Yes, she sewed it on the sleeve of this dress," Winter sighed, she showed the undersleeve of the dress and there in a red thread was a list for groceries, "I kept forgetting what she needed every time she sent me out to get them."

"I doubt that you are that forgetful," Yugi pointed out.

The two jumped in surprise and Winter gave him an amused smile. Jounouchi was holding his chest slightly as he breathed out a sigh of relief. He sent Yugi a look and started to chase after the smaller teen. Yugi laughed as he began to run away, Winter smiled softly and started to run after them. She was just glad that everything ended in a peaceful way. Well, peaceful for her friends.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. _Of Escaped Prisoners and False Prophets_

* * *

Jounouchi yawned as he headed down the stairs for breakfast. He had been living at the Akihoshi household for a month and was starting to think about visiting his baby sister at the hospital. Sachiko gave him a smile and he gave a sleepy one back. He had stayed up late watching an actual Hong Kong action movie. He was starting to regret it. Sachiko huffed quietly and he noted that Winter wasn't at the table yet. He smiled slightly; he figured that she probably fell asleep at her desk again. She'd been doing that often. He slowly became worried for her. After Souzouji was taken care of, thankfully the silencing spell was still active, Winter had slowly begun to spend more time drawing then she had previously. He had peeked in at one point to tell her dinner was ready and noticed an almost filled sketchbook filled with different pictures of monsters. Some familiar and others he had never seen before.

"Mornin'," speak of the devil.

He looked towards a very ruffled Winter and snickered at her messy hair. It had grown out a bit and looked a bit shaggy. She plopped down at her seat and he noted the led that covered the side of her hand, she was left-handed, go figure. He bit into his pancakes, happy at the Western breakfast food, and watched as she covered hers in maple syrup before quietly digging in. Akira walked into the house with the newspaper in hand and took off his shoes before heading into the kitchen. He sat down and read his newspaper before eating his breakfast.

"Does that say a Criminal broke out of prison?" Winter asked, tilting her head in an attempt to read the paper.

Her studying with Yugi and now Jounouchi, has improved her kanji skills tremendously. She made a face at the fact that they only referred to the criminal as number '777' and not his actual name. Jounouchi thought about the dangers of going anywhere with a criminal on the loose and decided to try and keep his friends in populated areas. He just needed to make sure that Yami wasn't going to show up anytime soon. That spirit would've been over the moon for a reason to go all out in a game. The two of them didn't want to give the spirit any reason to react violently to anything. It never ended well for those who were targeted.

"There is some good news," Akira stated, "They opened up a Burger World out here."

"Oh, you mean the discount In-N-Out?" She asked.

The dirty look she got made her smile sweetly in response. Jounouchi sighed at the two's antics and finished his breakfast in unison with Winter. Sachiko rolled her eyes at the group and cleaned up after them as a small debate broke out between Grandfather and Grandchild. She watched in slight amusement as Winter dissected his entire argument with a few words. Akira pouted as the two high school students pulled on their shoes and headed out the front door.

"Remind me not to argue with you," Jounouchi stated.

"I make no promises," Winter grinned.

Jounouchi snorted at that as they got on the bus and waited at the doors for Yugi. Yugi grinned at the two as he got on and they grabbed some seats. Winter and Yugi sat down while Jounouchi stayed standing. They quietly conversed about the homework they had to do and Yugi chuckled quietly when Winter admitted that she had some problems with the reading but easily got it after asking Sachiko and Akira.

"It's confusing compared to English," She pouted slightly.

"That sounds like an excuse," Jounouchi pointed out.

She stuck her tongue out at him slightly and he grinned at her as Yugi chuckled at the two's antics. He then smiled happily to himself glad that he had some really good friends. Winter seemed to think of something and an 'oh' expression appeared on her face before she grinned slightly.

"You guys want to check out the new Burger World after school?" She asked.

Yugi was, in Winters terms, completely down for that. Jounouchi had to think about it for a few seconds and wondered about the likelihood that they'd run into 777. He didn't think much, it was a one in hundred thousand likely good that they'd run into the criminal.

"That sounds great," Jounouchi grinned.

"Yeah," Yugi nodded his happy assent, "I hear Burger World is really good."

"Ah, you really do like burgers," Winter stated, slightly amused at her smaller friend.

He flushed and scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner. The bus stopped and the three got off and met up with Anzu. She smiled happily at them and Winter looked at her with curiosity. She almost smelled like old fast-food. It was a very distinct smell and one that sticks with you for a long while. Anzu gave a small yawn as the group slowly made their way inside the school and went to their respective lockers. Winter blinked when a slip of paper fell out of her locker. She opened it with a curious expression on her face as she turned a dark red after reading what was written.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, stepping up to her with a tilted head.

She simply handed him the paper and his eyes slowly traveled it before his face flushed slightly and a small frown began to appear on his face. Apparently, someone decided to write a poem so sappy and so horrible that even he wouldn't have dared to give this to a girl. Especially, Winter, she was definitely prettier than a daisy. He huffed at it and looked towards the embarrassed girl.

"What's goin' on?" Jounouchi asked Yugi handed him the letter and he quickly read it.

The snort that came from Jounouchi made Winter snort as well. She was slowly turning back to her normal color and he tossed the letter into the nearest garbage can. They headed up to the classroom and took their seats. Yugi had a small deck of cards out and was playing a game of battle against Winter. It was hard to say who was winning, but Anzu had a feeling that Yugi was going to end up winning. Jounouchi stated that it was going to be Winter. He knew exactly how good her luck was. They ended up with a draw as the teacher walked in. Chono smiled at the students and Winter gave her a blank look in response as they sat through the lecture.

She didn't like listening to this teacher. Something about her was off and false. It was like the lavender-haired boy at her bus station. He had the same feeling around him. She still couldn't figure out why she was getting such feelings around certain people. She thought back to the day that Souzouji was cursed with silence. The feelings she got seemed to have increased after that day. She smiled at the feeling she got around Yugi, he was cheerful and light.

Recess was called and Winter jumped in surprise. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed the time passing. She looked over to a talking Jounouchi and Yugi and smiled at the two. They were talking about pornographic videos and she made a face at that. Anzu made a face as well and sent the two a motherly look of disappointment. Yugi wilted under the look and Jounouchi coughed slightly. It made Winter wonder what kind of secret power she had. No one was that scary without any kind of satanic power. It made her think of how scary Yami could be when he was angry. That thought sent a shiver down her spine as she thought back to what he could do to a person. His powers were something that she couldn't really categorize with ease.

"Is everything okay?" Anzu asked her.

"Oh, yeah," Winter smiled softly, "It's just a very thoughtful day today."

Anzu didn't ask her to clarify since she might've become more confused by the sudden philosopher. Winter took out her sketchbook and began to draw, Anzu gave a small smile at the picture of a Dark Magician without his helmet. He was kinda cute. She stretched slightly and felt a little pain at her sore muscles. She didn't have any more time to contemplate the pain when the teacher came back in. Winter pouted slightly and put away her sketchbook before grabbing her Maths book.

Yugi has the best scores in math and no one could beat him. He could hold that skill to his love of games. A lot of games required the ability to do quick maths to figure out damage calculation or the addition to perks leveling up. He easily figured out the problems that the teacher had given them but stayed quiet about them. He had been bullied about them before and he didn't want to deal with it ever again. Jounouchi was creating paper triangles as shooting them at Winter. She sent him an amused look before flicking them back at him. Eventually, the teacher noticed and sent the two outside the classroom to think about what they've done.

"So our punishment for not paying attention to class is to miss even more class by standing outside?" Winter quietly questioned.

"Don't ask me," Jounouchi muttered, giving a shrug. "I didn't make the rules."

"Whoever did doesn't have much common sense," Winter muttered to herself.

The teacher let them back into the classroom and they took their seats and took notes. Winter began to doodle on her notes and made a face at the small Dark Magician that was giving her a look of disapproval. She hadn't meant to draw him. She had been attempting to draw a Kuriboh. She wondered if she'd be stuck drawing the Dark Magician and Magician Girl for the rest of her life. She probably will, and she can attempt to get a job at Industrial Illusions as an artist or graphic designer.

"That's a look that belongs on a mom," She quietly muttered to herself in English.

She went to turn the page but stopped. The expression on her drawing had changed on her. If she had to place an expression to him, he looked amused. She blinked and sat still for a few seconds as she tried to see if it would change again. If it did, she could add it to the slowly growing list of weird things that were happening to her. She narrowed her eyes at it before turning the page with a very small sigh. She was losing her mind, it was almost sad how crazy she seemed to be getting.

"Class is dismissed," the teacher announced.

Jounouchi gave a yawn before turning to his friends with a grin. He was actually excited to go to a burger joint with his pals. He hadn't been that way when he was in a gang, then again those guys weren't friends to him. Some of them were real pieces of work.

"You guys ready to go to burger world?" He asked.

"Yeah," Yugi and Winter said in unison.

Anzu had been packing her bag when she heard that. She froze and looked towards them nervously. She took a deep breath and plastered on her best-concerned look. She had to really sell it.

"Are you guys talking about Burger World?" She asked.

"Yeah, would you like to join us?" Yugi asked.

"N-No thank you, I heard that when the place first opened that a lot of people got sick, "Anzu stated.

Jounouchi and Winter shared a skeptic look as Yugi slowly began to worry. That kind of information would've been made public. The newspaper only had good reviews of the new restaurant. Kind employees and extremely hygienic bathrooms.

"Maybe they've gotten a new shipment of supplies to stop the case of food poisoning?" Winter suggested with a small smile.

Yugi gave her a look of surprise. Usually, Anzu and Winter were on the same page when it came to worries. He looked towards Anzu and tilted his head at the slight distress on Anzu's face. The brunette was thinking heavily about something and then a sudden spark came to her eyes. He had to admit that the small battle of wills he was witnessing was impressive.

"What about the escaped criminal? Are you truly going to chance running into him?" Anzu questioned her hands on her hips.

"That's a one in a hundred thousand chance," Winter argued.

"Why don't we just go to the calorie burger by my place?" Yugi quickly interrupted.

Winter looked at him and a soft smile appeared on her face. Anzu gave a sigh of relief and grabbed her bag before walking out of the classroom. Jounouchi shared a look with Winter and she gave a small shrug after a few seconds as he thought. Something fishy was going on with his other female friend.

"Maybe she's doing Enjokousai?" Jounouchi suggested.

The look he got from Winter caused him to sweat nervously. Her eyes had hardened and a glare was directed his way. He noticed that Yugi was giving him a glare. His was far more adorable than scary since his face was a bright red. Jounouchi was willfully ignoring Winter's glare and he was doing rather well.

"Anzu would never do something like that!" Yugi yelled at him.

"Then why don't we follow her to see what she's been doing?" Jounouchi suggested.

Yugi and Winter sighed as they gave a quiet agreement to the blonde. The three left the classroom and changed their shoes. They left the school and began to follow Anzu. They ended up passing through a small shopping area and the brunette felt as though someone was following her. Winter quickly grabbed Yugi and dragged him into an art store and Jounouchi dove behind a statue. Blue eyes searched the road with a skeptic look. She shrugged to herself and continued on her way.

"That was pretty close," Winter sighed.

"Y-Yeah," Yugi stuttered.

She had pulled him close so his hair wouldn't be showing. He barely came up to her chest, but he couldn't help but notice that she was a little on the warmer side than most people. It made him question if she had more burns that were easily covered up. He knew better than to ask. After a few minutes, she released him with a small sigh and a smile appeared on her face as the two exited the store. The shop owner, one of the elderly ladies who rode the bus with the three Domino High students, quietly cooed to herself at how adorable the two were.

"What kind of second sense does she have?" Jounouchi grumbled quietly as they headed towards the building Anzu went into.

Winter gave a shrug before she made a face. The two boys noticed her face before looking at the reason behind the face. They made the exact expression as they stared at the large sign of Burger World. They shared a look, the expression still plastered on their face, and quietly nominated Winter to be the one to go in first. She stepped up and the doors automatically opened to reveal Anzu in a neon green uniform with a yellow ascot around her neck.

"Welcome to Burger World will that be a booth or table?" She started to ask.

Anzu made a face and slowly backed up into the restaurant before turning her back to them. Winter moved into the restaurant and Yugi followed after. Jounouchi went into autopilot as Anzu turned around and showed the three to a booth. Jounouchi and Yugi took the window seats and Winter sat next to Jounouchi.

They ordered their food, two burgers for the boys and a strawberry sundae for the only girl. The three were all silent and shared looks of slight disbelief. Winter likened it to an episode of the Twilight Zone. She stretched slightly and removed her gloves so her hands could get some air. Jounouchi and Yugi barely batted an eye at the red and pink skin.

"I can't believe this was her secret the entire time," Jounouchi stated, "it's kind of a letdown."

"It's better than dating for pay," Winter grumbled at him.

He gave her an apologetic look and Yugi tilted his head before his cheeks became a light pink. He couldn't help but think Winter would look cute in the uniform. His mother was right, he spent far too much time with his Grandfather. She looked towards him and tilted her head in a slightly questioning way and he gave her a grin and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. He got a slightly amused look on her face at that and she looked towards him and paled. He couldn't help but think it was quite a feat since she was already pretty pale. Food was placed on the table and they all jumped and quickly joined Winter in paling as Anzu wrote on the food with ketchup.

"That's impressive," Winter informed Anzu after reading the threat.

'Blab and you'll die'. She was very impressed that Anzu could write in ketchup. She herself could barely put it on a hamburger without it getting everywhere. Now that she thought about it maybe that's the reason why her aunt removed all of her white clothes.

"Don't worry we weren't going to blab," Jounouchi informed her.

"Good, I need this job because I'm saving up for my dream," Anzu informed them, "I want to be a dancer in New York. You better not laugh."

"Relax," Winter told her, "if any of us blab we'll buy plenty of burgers to compensate you."

Anzu smiled at that and started to head out as Winter removed one of her wafers and bit into it with a very small smile. It was refreshing to see someone so serious be so childish.

"How horrible of this restaurant to serve their hamburgers with nothing but ketchup," Jounouchi teased.

Winter made a face before excusing herself from the table. The two boys shared a look before shrugging slightly. They figured she probably had to use the restroom. They were right in that assumptions.

"You look better," Anzu teased.

"Yeah," Winter smiled back.

Her smile vanished when she bumped into someone. Her smile slowly turned into horror. Of all the people she could've bumped into it had to be him. She needed to reevaluate her odds of running into people because they were wrong.

"Listen up!" The man yelled, placing Winter in a choke hold, "If anyone makes a noise this chick gets it!"

"You bastard," Winter hissed.

"You remind me of an annoying victim I had, I burned her house down," The criminal whispered in her ear, "along with the six-year-old inside."

The customers of the establishment began to whisper and one woman yelled. Yugi and Jounouchi shared a horrified look and noted that Winter had started to tremble slightly. A sudden thought seemed to go through her mind and she became deathly still, even as the man dragged her to a booth. She was tossed into the booth and she slid slightly as she calmly caught herself by placing a hand on the table.

"She's oddly calm," Jounouchi muttered.

He jumped when her eyes moved to his. They had gone blank, but the hazel color was more of a dull red. A shiver went down his spine as he was reminded of Yami's eyes. He wondered if the spirits power could be affecting her. A gun was being held to her head and he didn't want to know if the criminal was truly going to harm her.

"You there, the gutless lookin' kid!" The criminal called out, his eyes trained on Yugi, "Bring me some Booze and Lucky Stripe! Everyone else on the floor."

The customers all knelt and got on the ground. Jounouchi watched as Yugi was discreetly handed a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes by a worker who looked ready to throw up. Another motioned towards the grill. Yugi scurried off towards the grill and grabbed the bottle of vodka that was hidden in a lower cupboard. Winter began to sweat as Yugi walked up before she opened her mouth.

"Why'd you have to pick Yugi?" It was muttered but the Criminal still heard her.

"Shut it you," He growled, grabbing her arm harshly and digging the barrel of the gun into her forehead.

The Millennium Puzzle around his neck began to glow and Yami decided to switch with his host. His glare at the criminal was enough to cause Jounouchi to wonder about something. If Yugi and the spirit are close enough in body, could it be that the spirit liked Winter? He knew that Yugi liked her as a friend, but sometimes he'd blush at her smile or give her sideways glances when no one was looking.

"Here's what you asked for," Yami stated as he plopped down across from Winter.

Winter reacted when she heard his voice, the oddly deep baritone was comforting to her at that moment. Jounouchi's eyes were wide in disbelief as he watched the spirit give Winter a very quick glance. It all made sense to him.

"Who the hell said you can sit?" The criminal barked.

"How rude," Yami stated, a horrified look came across Winters face at his tone, "I thought I'd keep you company and, if you have the guts for it, play a game with me."

"A game?" The criminal asked, "Sure, a guy like me needs to have some fun."

The criminal's eyes slid towards the high schooler next to him. He chose what had to be the twerp's girlfriend, no wonder the kid got mad. He had to admit that she was pretty. Serious hazel eyes set against a pale face. She had the light with dark hair look goin' for her. His first victim looked just like her. He'd been everywhere in the world, though Domino was his hometown, and his favorite kill was this little house in San Diego. He burned that fucker to the ground.

"Well the loser of this game loses his life," Yami pointed out.

"Interesting," The criminal purred, placing a cigarette into his mouth before grabbing the neck of the vodka bottle, "What are the rules?"

"You and I must stay on opposite ends of this table," Yami began, holding up his hands, "then we choose one finger of our ten and that becomes the only ginger you can move. Which finger is entirely up to you."

The criminal snickered and Yami gently prodded Winters' leg. She looked at him and noted the anger and hate swirling in them. He wanted to know what caused such a thing, but he had a game to play. The criminal began to pour himself a drink.

"I'll choose my right index finger," He stated, wiggling the finger against the trigger of the gun against Winters' head, "it's all I need to kill."

"Then I shall choose my thumb," Yami stated, watching as the gun was pointed at him instead of her. "What will you do once this game starts?"

"Pull the trigger of course," came the response that caused him to start sweating.

"Right," Yami muttered before speaking in a louder voice, "Game start."

"And now it's game over," The criminal gleefully stated.

Yami opened the lid of the lighter in his hand. He had yet to break any rules since he had used his thumb. Winter gripped at the table as something wet his her thighs. The man was overfilling his shot glass and handy even realized it.

"Right my cigs not lit," The criminal stated, "let's let it be your last act"

Yami leaned forward and lit the Criminals cigarette. He relaxed his hand as the criminal took a drag. The fighter landed on the hand that was pouring the alcohol and a small grim smile appeared on Winter's face. Her mother and brother were finally going avenged.

"Here's the lighter take it with you to hell," Yami stated. "Even firing your pistol will cause a recoil and make the lighter fall. The alcohol is ninety percent proof so you can imagine what'll happen."

The criminal began to panic. He couldn't move without causing the lighter to fall and the alcohol was pouring all over his front and lap. Yani got up and grabbed Winter's hand and helped her out of the booth. He moved towards a discreet corner and froze when she gave him a tight hug. He couldn't help but notice she smelt of Cinnamon with a very slight scent of mint. It was calming.

"Thank you," She told him.

He could feel his host's jacket getting wet. He slowly returned the hug and watched in grim satisfaction as the cigarette fell from the criminal's lips right into his lap. The man caught fire and began to scream hellishly. The smell from the man was horrendous and Yami felt Winter freeze up. Her breathing hitched slightly and she slowly turned towards the fire. She looked terrified. He placed his hands on her face and quickly moved her head so she couldn't see the fire. She had gripped at his jacket and he could feel her body trembling. The screaming continued as someone called the emergency services. Jounouchi and Anzu got up from their spots on the ground and Yami clicked his tongue as he let his host have control. Yugi was surprised when he felt himself shaking. He blinked before looking down towards the source. He flushed before gaining a somewhat scared look.

"Yugi!" Jounouchi called.

He noted the state Winter was in and silently cursed. He knew better than to move a person who was on the verge of a panic attack. He heard her beginning to hyperventilate. Correction, someone who was having a panic attack. He noted that Yugi was keeping her from seeing the fire and knew from the deep worry and confusion on his face that he hadn't done it on his own. He watched as Anzu gently wrapped her arms around the panicking teen.

The firefighters rushed in and put the fire out with ease. The smell of burnt flesh and hair filled the restaurant and Winters panic attack got worse as her body seized up and her breathing got even faster. A firefighter noticed and called over one of the paramedics that had been called as well. They walked over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She burrowed into Yugi and his face turned a light pink as the paramedic began to talk to her in soft tones.

"It's going to be all right," He stated. "You're going to be okay."

Winter was slowly removed from Yugi and placed on a gurney. Jounouchi followed behind and gave Yugi and Anzu a tight smile. The two in the restaurant shared a look before mutually deciding on something. Anzu went and resigned before changing into her school uniform, and Yugi grabbed everyone's bags. The two headed out of the restaurant and into a small shopping district. They both got a gift and gift bag before heading towards Domino's hospital. It hadn't taken them very long and as they entered the hospital a woman that looked like a severe version of Winter was talking to Jounouchi with an anxious expression.

"She's not going to tell us," Jounouchi stated, not realizing that his friends had gotten closer, "she's close to panicking again."

"I know, but it's truly not my story to tell," Sachiko sighed, "just try asking her, the doctor told me that talking will help her."

Jounouchi frowned at that but gave a stiff nod as Sachiko turned to return home. She couldn't do anything since the hospital wanted to keep her overnight just in case she went into another attack. Jounouchi noticed his friends and gave them a tired wave. Leave it to him to have another sibling in the hospital. Leave it to him to gain a giant for a sister.

"Is she able to have visitors?" Anzu gently asked.

"Yeah, she's just very tired at the moment so they've asked for anyone visiting to talk quietly," Jounouchi warned them.

He leads the way to the room and opened the door. Winter was in a white hospital robe and laying propped up against a pillow. Anzu winced at how exhausted she looked, but what was even worse was the deadness of her eyes. Even when she first got here her eyes had more life than now. Yugi walked over and plopped into one of the chairs that sat next to the bed.

"Are you feeling better?" Yugi gently asked.

He got a nod in response and he gave a small smile as he handed over the gift bag. Winter blinked slight and looked towards him in a questioning manner. He grinned and she finally gave him the smallest of smiles. Anzu sighed in relief at that and took a seat in another chair. She went to look at Jounouchi and made a face upon noticing his missing presence. She had no clue where he'd gone. A rustling sound caught her attention and she watched as Winter gently took out what Yugi had given her. A plush of the Dark Magician was in her hands and a tired smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you, Yugi." He winced at how hoarse her voice was but smiled happily.

Anzu placed her bag on Winters' head with a teasing grin and that cheered the ravenette. She took it off of her head and brought out the second gift. A genuinely amused smile was on her face at the Dark Magician Girl plush. She knew that the designs she had sent Pegasus would've been enjoyed. He had turned her designs onto actual merchandise and that made her a little happy. She looked at the tag and noted that she was credited as the designer.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, concern lacing his voice.

"It's funny that Pegasus-San liked my designs so much that he made them a reality," Winter smiled.

Yugi and Anzu looked over her shoulder to see that the tag had her signature on the bottom. Anzu giggles slightly and she could see where Winter had the influences on the plushies. Both had her signature expressions. Dark Magician looked a bit grumpy while Dark Magician Girl looked bubbly and excited.

"Cute," Anzu grinned.

"Sorry about earlier, I hope that I didn't cause you too much worry," Winter quietly stated.

"What could possibly cause such a panic attack?" Anzu gently asked.

"When Jounouchi comes back I'll tell you guys," Winter promised.

The door opened and everyone turned to look at the blonde who was holding a small teddy bear. He tossed it to Winter and she caught it with a little problem. Her hands had been wrapped again and the bear's fear was soft enough that it almost slipped from her fingers. The bear was white and wearing a dress that was themed after a strawberry. She smiled at the fact that he remembered her love for strawberries and strawberry milk.

Jounouchi plopped down on the foot of her bed as she placed the bear in her lap. She ran a hand through its fur as she thought about how she was going to bring up what happened. She gave a soft sigh before deciding that being blunt was most likely the best course of action.

"A month ago my house was burned down while I was walking home from school," Winter began, "the man from the diner is the one who did it. He even admitted to the fact that my mother and brother had still been inside."

Anzu covered her mouth in horror and immediately knew her friend's reaction was one from trauma. Yugi gained a sad look on his face and looked down at his feet. Jounouchi sighed quietly. He had a feeling that something bad had happened. Winter held the bear closer to her chest and looked down at it.

"I ran the entire way home as soon as I saw the smoke," Winter stated, "I went inside to try and find my mother or brother. My mother had caught on fire and I wasn't in time to put her out, my brother was trapped in his room."

Her hands flexed on the bear and the group automatically knew what was going to be said next. They now knew exactly where her burns had come from. They knew the reason behind her sadness. Her baby brother had died.

"I couldn't get him out, no matter how hard I tried," Winter stated, tears beginning to fall down her face, "the firefighters took me away before I died as well. I could hear his screams the entire time. He was only six. The official report states that he died in an accidental fire from a fallen candle."

She sounded so broken and Anzu immediately brought her into a hug. Winter grasped onto the uniform blazer and her shoulders violently shook as she openly sobbed. Yugi got up and brought her into a hug as well. Anzu and Yugi turned to look at Jounouchi, but he was already moving and giving his own brand of comfort in the form of a hand on the shoulder. They stayed like that for an hour before Winter's sobbing receded into small sniffs.

Anzu had headed home and Jounouchi had been picked up by Sachiko. Yugi was waiting for Hana. He was unaware when the change happened. Winter looked towards Yami and the spirit suddenly felt unsure of how to act. He could usually talk to the people around him if his mind was constructing a penalty game, but now he was out of his element. She seemed to realize that and moved the Dark Magician plushie as he thought.

"I'm sorry," Yami apologized, "If I had known I would've chosen a different game."

Winter gave a stiff nod and her hands clenched the blankets. She didn't want to be reminded of what had happened only hours ago. She wanted to rest, not think about the man who had killed her family. Even with the panic attack, she was, in a very twisted way, grateful to the spirit for revenging her mother and brother. She leaned back slightly and noted the stiff way he was carrying himself, it was a far cry from his confident and regal stance.

"Does Yugi know that you're inhabiting his body?" Winter asked.

"No, I believe that what I've done would be too much for him right now," Yami stated, "he's not ready."

Winter tilted her head at that before seeing his point. Yugi was a gentle soul, knowing the horrible things that the spirit had done would cause him to shut down. She scratched at the bandages on her hands before remembering something. She never did get to eat her Sundae.

"What was your brother like?" Yami suddenly asked.

Hazel met crimson and she thought for a few seconds. Happier memories began to play and a gentle smile played on her face. Her baby brother was one of those blunt kinds of kids. She chuckled inwardly at that naming. That sounded about right.

"He was a goofy kid, always smiling and attempting to keep everyone happy," she informed him. "He liked to play games against me, even if he always lost he would always come back for a game."

Yami has a small smile on his face. She looked happier after talking about her brother. The door opened and he quickly changed back. Hana looked at the two teens and smiled softly as Yugi got up from the stool and gave Winter a nice farewell.

Winter looked back towards the plushies and gave the smallest of smiles as she decided to sleep for the night. She was awakened by a smiling Jounouchi and a smirking Sachiko. She groaned quietly and burrowed herself into the hospital blankets.

"Five more minutes," She grumbled at them.

"You have to go to school," Sachiko informed her. "Though you'll be going in civilian clothing since your uniforms need to be washed."

Winter gave her a look at that before climbing out of the bed. Jounouchi held in a snicker at the image of her clutching onto the Dark Magician plush like a small child. Sachiko handed her a small bag with some clothes and the teen headed into the bathroom to change. Sachiko looked towards Jounouchi and they shared an amused look.

"Auntie, why did you give me clothes that look like they came from one of the Visual Kei bands your style?" Winter asked.

She stepped out of the bathroom and Jounouchi raised his brows at the black and white striped dress shirt with the quarter sleeves rolled up over the black blazer that went over it. She was currently tying a ribbon that matched the dress shirt. She looked both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. It was that expression that caused Jounouchi to start laughing. She turned a bright red and Sachiko snapped a picture before handing the teen her school bag and shoes.

"C'mon you two," Sachiko stated, pushing the two from the room, "we'll pick Yugi-kun up on the way to school."

The two perked up and started to quickly walk towards the hospital doors, only stopping to let Winter change her shoes and placing the hospital slippers into a small laundry bin for the slippers. They headed into the van and Jounouchi made a face as the two teens decided to ride in the back so they could talk to Yugi. Winter had her plushies in her arms and Jounouchi finally snickered at how strange she looked.

"Something on your mind, Katsuya?" She asked with a closed eye smile.

"You are the biggest nerd I know, you have Yugi beat in that department," Jounouchi snickered.

He got a small pout in response as the van came to a stop outside a very familiar shop. Yugi was standing there in slight surprise before Winter rolled the window down and smiled at him. He brightened and headed towards the van. He climbed in and was surprised to see Jounouchi there.

"What happened to your uniform?" Yugi asked Winter.

"They need to be washed," She sheepishly stated, a small blush appearing on her face. "I don't look that bad, do I?"

"N-Not at all!" Yugi stuttered.

Winter gave him a tired smile and Jounouchi rolled his eyes at the two nerds as they stopped outside of the school. Winter was nervous due to the fact that Chono would have her head if she saw her out of uniform. With a quick stop at the front office, it was avoided since she had been given a small excuse due to being hospitalized for the night. She quickly headed to her friends and they headed up to the classroom. Anzu met them and she gave Winter a curious expression before calling the class into attention as Chono walked in.

"What's this?" Chono falsely asked, "Doyle-San, I believe you are out of uniform."

"I have a slip," Winter informed her.

She handed over the slip and Chono snatched it from her hands. Her eyes traveled across the slip and an angry expression passed on her face before a false smile appeared. Winter headed to her seat and got ready for the lessons. Class went along as usual, well almost as usual. The class could feel the tension as Chono continuously called on Winter to answer the questions on the board. Jounouchi and Yugi both frowned at the teacher as she started to make advanced mathematics on the board. Winter had answered every single question but had gotten stuck on the last one. She spared a glance at the clock and gave a quiet sigh of relief as the next teacher walked in to give a lecture.

"What's her deal?" Jounouchi grumbled to Anzu.

"Chono-Sensei is a stickler for the school rules," Anzu informed him with a slight twitch of her eye, "Winter seems to have a talent for both breaking the rules and getting away with breaking the rules."

Jounouchi agreed with her on that as Winter sat back down at her desk and took out a sketchbook to draw. He gave a tiny smile at that, she was already drawing in it as the teacher began to drone on. He turned his attention to the lecture so he could take notes, for once in his life he had someone, other than his sister, that he wanted to make proud. He had a second family and he didn't want to let them down.

Anzu watched as Jounouchi took notes, they weren't the best but they did get the main point of the lecture down. She smiled softly at the change in her newfound friend. He seemed happier and less prone to violence than before. She turned her attention to Yugi and noticed that he was taking notes but looked a bit distracted. He stole a glance towards Winter before making a thoughtful expression on his face. It was like he was confused about something.

The break finally rolled around and Anzu took that time to lean against Winter to get her attention. The teen had jumped the moment Anzu bumped into her. She smiled as she got everyone's attention. She had heard something interesting from the others girls in the class.

"Have you guys heard about Kokurano-San from class A?" Anzu asked, "I've heard that he's able to predict the future and he hasn't been wrong yet."

Winter gave a small scoff at that and gave her friends an amused look. Jounouchi looked thrilled at the idea of an actual psychic at the school. Anzu seemed to share her thoughts on such topics. Yugi just chuckled slightly at that, a small thoughtful expression on his face. Winter felt as though she would meet someone that could truly predict the future, a frown appeared on her face at that thought. She couldn't figure out what had caused that thought to happen. She didn't have much time to dwell on it when Jounouchi grabbed her and Yugi by the back of their shirts.

"Don't drag them Jounouchi!" Anzu yelled at him as he dragged the two to see the psychic.

"That's a lot of people," Winter muttered as she looked around the room.

It was mostly filled with girls who were all gossiping to each other. Yugi rubbed the back of his head as he too looked at the large crowd. Jounouchi was slowly getting flustered at the number of girls and coughed slightly as Anzu walked up behind them. It seemed that the only Winter noticed the glint the puzzle gave, she wondered if Yami was feeling a little nervous at the number of people. He wasn't the best in social situations.

"I give up Winter, let's get your fortune told," Jounouchi loudly stated.

"The fuck you talkin' about?" She asked him with a frown.

He sputtered at that before snickered at the surprise on Yugi's face. She had quite a mouth on her sometimes and he was glad to have been present to hear those words. Anzu didn't know which one to smack at that point. She decided on both of them. They ended up rubbing the back of their heads and pouted.

"You two! Keep it down, Kokurano-Sama needs the quiet to concentrate!" A girl with long hair yelled at them.

"Who's next?" Kokurano asked.

Winter made a face at the fact he was the lavender-haired kid from her bus stop. She tilted her head slightly, there was something off about him. Something dark that was slowly bouncing off of him. He met her eyes and she barely kept her face free of expression as a headache formed. There was a small rattling sound that cut off all of the noise and everyone looked around. The rattling turned into a deep rumbling and Winter lost her balance as the room shook. Yugi was the closest to her and pushed on her back before she fell. It helped steady him as the earthquake lasted a few minutes.

"Thank you, Yugi," Winter told him with a soft smile.

He blushed and sheepishly chuckled as Anzu sighed in relief that the earthquake was over.

"Hey you," Kokurano called Jounouchi, "a while ago you thought that you'd come to get your fortune told, but I am not that kind of psychic. I do not perform the typical fortune telling methods, I have clear visions and this morning I wrote down my prediction! I have written it down here on this slip of paper!"

He brought out the slip of paper from the green mantle he was wearing. Hazel eyes narrowed at the small glimpse of similar pieces of paper in the mantle. She knew that trick and knew it well. A scowl appeared on her face and several people sent her nervous looks. Yugi looked towards her and noted the slight anger and disgust that was written in that scowl as Jounouchi read the "prediction".

"He's a fraud," she growled.

"How do you know?" Anzu asked her.

Yugi was curious about that as well. He also didn't want to see Winter get in trouble from false accusations. Even though a part of him knew she was telling the truth. He could've sworn he had seen the puzzle around his neck flash when she started to scowl. It was almost like someone telling him to get her to smile. He shook his head and quietly wondered if he was imagining things.

"When he went to grab the piece of paper from his mantle I was able to see similar strips of paper held within the mantle," Winter explained, "it's a relatively new trick but one that's becoming well known in the states, those papers could have anything written on them and all he'd have to do is choosing the right one for the right situation."

There was an applause after Jounouchi's reading and Anzu gave a quiet sigh at the scowl on her female friends face. Winter was angry at such a display and it was different from her slightly shy nature. A smile tugged at her lips. She knew that her friend didn't like people like Kokurano. She blinked in surprise when Winter gained a blank face and walked up to Kokurano.

"This is a scam," Winter bluntly stated, "call me skeptical or call it a hunch."

"How dare you!" The long-haired girl from earlier yelled.

"This is a trick from my home country," Winter calmly stated, "false psychics wear a mantle where countless predictions can be kept until the right moment, all he had to do is show the underneath of his mantle and I'll apologize."

That started some whispering as Kokurano glared up at Winter. Jounouchi lost his belief in Kokurano at that moment. No one glared at another person like that unless they catch you in an act. He looked down to Yugi and noted that Yami had switched spots and was stuck between glaring at Kokurano and giving Winter looks of admiration.

"You're being obvious," Jounouchi informed him.

Yami gave him a slightly surprised look before nodding his understanding. He didn't even know why he switched with his host. A part of him felt protective of the taller teen that was holding her ground against a con artist. All he knew was that he had started feeling that way yesterday. He kept thinking about her fear and panic attack. He felt guilty and he knew she didn't exactly blame him for it. He had no way of knowing. Granted she was a bit mad at him for the way he handled the situation. His thoughts cut off the moment Kokurano spoke.

"In your future be wary of countless words falling from heaven," Kokurano growled, "there lies nothing but calamity and destruction for you!"

She rolled her eyes in response and headed back to her friends. They went back to class and Winter didn't even comment on the fact that Yami had switched with Yugi. She was just surprised that he was able to mimic his host's voice. Winter sat back down at her desk and gave a small yawn. She was still tired from the events of yesterday. She picked up her mechanical pencil and held it to her sketchbook and began to slowly sketch something. A sudden smack caused her to look towards a Jounouchi who was rubbing his head.

"All I said was that if he comes anywhere near her, I'm gonna deck him," Jounouchi informed Anzu.

"You'd get expelled you, idiot!" Anzu snapped.

The two began to argue and Winter looked towards Yami as he awkwardly stood next to her desk. She barely kept in her chuckle and flushed slightly when he looked at her with a raised brow.

"Sorry, you seem a bit uncomfortable I shouldn't have laughed," Winter stated.

Yami regarded her for a few seconds before his expression softened and he switched with his host. His job was done. He just wanted to stop her scowl. Yugi blinked in slight confusion before noticing Winter smiling at him. His face turned a light pink before he looked down at her sketchbook.

"Ah! That's beautiful," Yugi told her.

Jounouchi and Anzu stopped arguing and looked over Winters' shoulders to see the drawing. It was them as a group. Smiles were on each of their faces. Jounouchi wondered how long she had been working on that single picture and smiled to himself. Anzu chuckled at the sight and wondered when Winter had drawn it. The teacher walked in and the students all headed back to their desks. Winter went back to drawing the picture as the teacher droned on about English. She was lucky that she was never called on due to being a native speaker.

Eventually class ended and everyone started to get ready to leave. Winter noticed a library book on the floor and knelt down to pick it up. She frowned and looked at the due date. It was due that day. She looked towards her friends and sighed quietly. She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and turned to her friends.

"I'm going to return this book to the library," She informed them, "it shouldn't take me more than five minutes."

"Okay!" Jounouchi confirmed, "just be careful."

"Right, we're going to window shop on the way to my place," Yugi informed her.

She smiled and gave a nod before heading out the classroom door and down the hallway. The two boys listened to her steps and gave identical looks of amusement. She was doing better than she had been in a while. Seems as though sharing her past helped to bring her out a bit more. Yugi blinked when he felt worried. He looked towards the glass door and decided to excuse himself to use the restroom. Instead of going to the restroom he booked it to the library. A sudden crash caused him to pick up his pace. He burst through the doors and saw Winter gently freeing her leg from a fallen bookcase.

"Countless words my ass," She grumbled quietly.

Yugi hurried towards her and noted the small scratches on her face from her fall. She blinked at him in surprise and he noted the bruises already forming on her cheek. The anger he felt was his own but at the same time, it felt amplified. He then blacked out.

"Was it him?" Yami asked her.

Winter gave a curt nod and gently pulled on her leg. It slid out from under the bookcase and she jumped when it hit the ground with a large thump. Yami's eyes narrowed in anger and he found himself easily carrying Winter bridal style. Her face was a dark red and if it wasn't for his anger he'd have been smirking at it. Jounouchi jumped when the doors were forced open and he automatically jumped into action when the spirit walked in with Winter.

"What happened?" Jounouchi asked.

"Countless words," Winter grumbled.

"What?" His confusion was almost palpable.

"Kokurano pushed the bookshelves in the library and almost seriously injured her," Yami informed him.

They both noticed the spark of insanity and rage in his crimson eyes. The spirit was pissed and wanted revenge. Winter winced as she stood up and noted that she was lucky not to have any broken bones. The worst thing she could have would be bruised. Yami turned to leave for a game but was stopped when a hand grasped onto his. He turned and saw Winter looking at him with a conflicted expression on her face.

"Just don't kill him," She quietly pleaded.

He looked at her for a few minutes before sighing in slight defeat. He almost smirked at a sudden thought. Of course, he would listen to the girl he nicknamed 'Princess', it was almost ironic. He didn't know how to get her to relax and he shuffled through his host's memories of comforting his mother and Anzu. He gave her hand a squeeze and she blinked at him in surprise.

"I will try not to," He told her.

"Fair enough," she muttered, letting go of his hand and allowing him to leave.

Jounouchi was cracking his knuckles slightly. What he wouldn't give to punch that Kokurano creeps. He helped Winter pack up the rest of her things and watched as she limped towards the door. He couldn't tell if she actually felt the pain in her leg or not.

"Anything broke?" He asked.

"No, just bruised and sore," Came the quiet response. "I'm good at riddles, I feel like a total idiot for not figuring out what he meant by countless words."

"It's okay," Jounouchi told her, "Just be careful next time."

The look she gave him made him snicker despite the situation. She tapped a hand against the doorway when she felt the shift in the air when a shadow game began. Jounouchi flinched when her eyes flashed crimson and a glowing eye appeared on her forehead, she frowned slightly and looked towards the science rooms. It was almost like she could see the game in progress.

"They're playing a game," Winter stated, "they take turns pulling a sheet of paper from under a bottle. I think it's Chloroform. Yami is winning currently."

"How's that creep doing?" Jounouchi asked.

"The bottles right on the edge of the table and he's lost his mind, claiming that his powers are real," Winter responded, "he's making quite a spectacle of himself."

Jounouchi smirked at that and a loud crash got the two of them to leave the room and they ran right into the science room. They covered their faces to protect themselves from the clouds of chloroform that was floating around. Winter looked down at a passed out Kokurano and noted all the slips of paper under his now open mantle.

"Nicely done, Yami," Jounouchi told the spirit.

He got a nod in response and the group left the sweet smelling room. Yami switched with Yugi after the group headed outside. Wide amethyst eyes were welcomed to the sight of a bickering Jounouchi and Winter. They were arguing about different types of ice cream. He blinked in confusion before he frowned at the slight limp she had. She turned back to him and her bright hazel eyes looked to him for help.

"Yugi, which is better? Plain old vanilla or fun flavors like chocolate and strawberry?" She asked.

"Fun flavors," He stated.

Jounouchi groaned at that and Winter gave him a giant smile and a hug. He flushed as they walked through the shopping district and looked through the different stores. Winter stopped and looked at the nice leather bound sketchbooks that were on display at a high-end art store. She moved past it and they headed towards the Kame Game shop. Grandpa greeted them as they walked in. They all gave him smiles in response before heading into the house part of the building. Their study group had gone well that day and Hana Muto smiled at the group of kids that had become good friends with her son. She knew that those kids would have his back no matter what.


	4. Chapter 4

Ahh! I haven't been responding to reviews! My apologies. I really do appreciate them!

Peanut butter bunny: thank you so much for the review. I forgot to respond to your review while I was typing these up. I am trying my best to keep things natural in third person and I do struggle with it. It's always the smallest typos that I miss.

* * *

Chapter 4. _True Faces and the Man from Egypt_.

* * *

Yugi was pulling on his socks when a sudden thought passed his mind. It had been two months since Winter had entered his life. She had begun with extremely short hair that now reached her chin and was styled by her aunt. He smiled at the fact that Sachiko seemed to style her niece after the Visual Kei artist she worked for. He then looked towards the milk puzzle that rested on his desk. Honda had asked for his help to tell his feelings to a girl in their class. Nosaka Miho, or rather Ribbon-Chan, was head of the library committee and very shy. The letter on the puzzle may have said her name but he couldn't help but think of Anzu and Winter. The letter was written from an inspiration on the two, both were beautiful strong women. Hana opened the door and he looked up at her with a sheepish smile.

"Your friends are here already," She chided.

"I'm almost done," Yugi told her.

He pulled on his puzzle and grabbed the milk puzzle for Miho. Hana had sighed at that and chuckled quietly as her son gave himself a last check over before getting his school bag and rushing downstairs. He pulled on his shoes at the front door and she was about the chide him for forgoing breakfast.

"Yugi, did you even eat breakfast?" Winter's voice asked.

Her son gave a sheepish chuckle and she peeked into the shop to see Winter giving him a wrapped sandwich from her bag. She smiled softly as the group left the shop while conversing. She was truly happy for her son. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her washing machine. She went to get the wet laundry and put it in the dryer.

"So Honda-Kun joined us today?" Winter quietly asked.

Honda gave a strange expression as he nodded and she gave him a small smile before turning to Yugi and starting a conversation about games. The one game that stood out was Duel Monsters, apparently, it was getting very popular in America and her grandmother on her father's side sent her a few themed items that were being sold in the states. It explained the Kuriboh earrings that dangled from her ears. They had enough time to walk all the way to school and place the present in Miho's desk.

"You shouldn't worry so much Honda," Jounouchi told his fidgeting friend. "Yugi's good at writing down feelings."

"Jounouchi, rethink that statement," Winter informed him, "he's wonderful at writing letters."

Yugi blushed at that as they entered the school. Shoes were changed and they hurried up to class. Jounouchi placed the gift into Miho's desk and Winter sat down at hers. Her hands were finally healed and allowed to be uncovered. The skin was mostly pink but a few of the burns remained red. Yugi sat down at his desk and smiled slightly in Honda's direction. The teen was fidgeting with a bright red face.

"Have you drawn any new monsters?" Yugi asked Winter.

"Yeah, the Dark Magician Of Chaos," Winter brought out her sketchbook and turned to the picture of a new monster, "not as nice looking as the Dark Magician but still cool."

"He's lanky," Yugi stated.

"Yeah," Winter agreed with a wry smile, "he just came out that way."

The teacher walked in and Winter flinched at the expression on her face. Chono was pissed and looking to take it out on someone. A few of the students knew that look on her face. Winter had been lucky that there hadn't been on since she joined the school, but it looked like her luck had finally run out.

"Before we open our textbooks, I want you all to empty out your bags onto your desktops," Chono ordered.

Chono watched as the students opened their bags and emptied the contents onto their desktops. Some even brought out the objects from inside their desks. She inwardly sneered, she wanted to see their cigarettes, lipstick, or even condoms. All those objects could expel a student with ease. She began her walk down the aisles and decided to start with her number one problem. Winter was sitting on her desk with a cool expression and Chono stopped to look through the pile on her desk. She inwardly frowned as she noted all the objects that weren't on the banned list. Until she saw something that was.

"My, my, what have we here?" She asked.

Winter glared at the object that had come out of her desk. It was better than Miho's being found out, but she had no clue who could've possibly given her something like this. The black and purple wrapping paper glinted at her in a slightly mocking way as Chono picked it up.

"Your guess is as good as mine, I have no clue where it came from," Winter stated.

"Oh?" Chono asked as she took it up towards her desk and opened it, "oh my how cute, a puzzle."

Honda, Jounouchi, and Yūgi all shared a confused look as Winter flushed in embarrassment. The girls in the class began to giggle as Miho looked at her gift before quickly putting it back on her desk. Chono was already putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"My lovely season," Chono giggled at how corny the poem was, "Your eyes are like bright amber and sweet like honey. Oh is this a love confession, how childish."

Winters' face grew to a dark red and she looked down at her desk. Yugi looked towards her and noted how upset she was getting as the puzzle was continuously put together. He heard the puzzle state that 'your smile can brighten up a dark room' and frowned as he felt something uncomfortable bubble up in his stomach. Jounouchi quietly cursed as he watched Winter duck her head even further as Chono read the confession out loud. A couple of the girls in the class gave winces and looked towards Winter as the males started to laugh. They would've been thrilled to hear these kinds of things, but in private and not from the expelling Witch.

Yami decided that enough was enough and switched with Yugi. He focused his powers and a glowing eye appeared on his forehead as Chono was about to put the last piece into the puzzle. She did and was about to announce the name when her face cracked into several jigsaw shapes and fell off. A few of the girls yelled in surprise as Chronos true face was revealed. It was Winter's words that sealed the deal for her new nickname.

"Woah, you look like Gollum from the Lord of The Rings," She quietly stated.

Yami smirked at that and quickly switched with Yugi as the teacher ran out of the room. The students took that as an excuse for a break. A few of the girls consoled Winter as Miho completed her puzzle. Honda gulped slightly when Miho walked up to him with a sweet smile.

"As kind as you confession was, I must decline it," Miho told him. "I truly am sorry."

Yugi and Jounouchi winced for their friend as he nodded his understanding. Miho returned to her desk and put the puzzle in her bag as Honda pouted. The three close friends surrounded his desk and gave him small pats on the shoulders. He looked surprised by them before he smiled slightly as they brought him into a small game of poker. Jounouchi and Honda ended up being the first ones out and watched as Yugi and Winter played against each other.

"Are these two always this good?" Honda asked.

"Royal flush," Winter stated.

"Two of a kind," Yugi chuckled.

"Yeah, these two are oddly good at games," Jounouchi stated, "they seem to be on even ground when it comes to card games, but Yugi has her in board games and she has him in RPGs."

Yugi chuckled softly at that and Winter sent Jounouchi a look at the next teacher came in and they cleaned everything up. Everyone returned to their seats and got ready for the lesson. Honda took notes and watched as Winter completely ignored the lecture by drawing. He turned to his notes and continued to pay attention.

As fast as school started it was over even faster. Honda joined the group as they followed after Jounouchi to a shop. He heard about a pair of shoes being sold that he'd been saving up for a while. They headed down a rather disgusting alleyway and Winter made an unimpressed face at the sight of the store.

"It's a dump," Winter, Yugi, and Honda stated in unison.

"Oi! I just came here because this guy apparently has the shoes I want," Jounouchi informed them.

He got three identical looks of disbelief and he spun on his heel before entering the store. The three outside shared a collective sigh before they too headed inside. The Junky Scorpion was a thrift shop with items from America. Winter ended up looking around at all the different items. She came across a nice sketchbook and took it off the shelf to look at it. It was bound in dark leather with blank tan pages. She looked for the price and accepted the fifteen hundred yen price. It was around fifteen dollars to thirteen dollars. Acceptable for such a nice sketchbook. She even saw a portfolio case that had hundreds of plastic slips for her drawings. She knew she was going to spend far too much in the store but it was a great find.

"I found them, the air muscles!" Jounouchi stated.

He held up a nice pair of sneakers and Winter chuckled quietly at his happy expression. Honda looked less than pleased at that and Yugi just held up a pencil case to show Winter. She gave him a gentle smile as she looked inside and noticed the size and made a face. The design was beautiful but the inside could barely fit her duel monsters cards in there don't even mention her pencils. Yugi put it back on the shelf with a chuckle and she brought something down from the top shelf to show him. It was an old rule book for DND.

"Hey don't act like you own the place!" The owner yelled at them.

Winter jumped in surprise and placed the book back as Yugi gave the man an unamused look. Jounouchi and Honda gave the man a look of surprise.

"That item is not for sale, it's impossible to find anywhere else," The owner informed Jounouchi as he rung up Winters items and she quickly paid for them.

"Come on you have to sell me these shoes, we can such a long way for a rumor," Jounouchi pleaded.

"Okay, to see if you're worthy we'll play a game to show your guts," The owner stated, he brought out a scorpion and placed it in the left shoe, "all you have to do is put your foot in the shoe, and not get stung."

"What kind of requirement is that? Do we look like masochists?" Jounouchi asked.

"She does," The owner bluntly stated.

"I'm more sadistic than anything," She grumbled before making a face at that.

Yugi heard that and gave her a look before chuckling slightly. Of course, she'd say that. It made sense to him as Jounouchi eyed the shoe in contemplation. He removed his left shoe and slammed his foot into the Air Muscle. His friends all stood still for a few minutes before nothing happened. The owner started to clap.

"Well done, but I didn't actually put the scorpion inside it would've stained the sneaker," The owner stated. "Okay, I'll sell it to ya, I'll even halve the price from its regular hundred thousand."

"Nice! I guess sheer tenacity does get you somewhere in life," Winter teased Jounouchi.

"Just be careful of the muscle hunters, I hear they've been attacking anyone with these shoes," the owner stated as Jounouchi forked over the money for the shoes.

They all exited the store and Winter smiled at the joy that Jounouchi was in. They walked all the way back to the shopping district and she snickered at the fact that he was skipping. Yugi smiled happily to himself and watched as Winter took out her new sketchbook and smiled as she held it to her chest. It brought out a childish side of her that always came out around their group of friends.

"I can't believe you threw out your old shoes," she stated, "I thought I was going to get some help with my gardening."

"Hey, I'll still help you plant the fruit trees," Jounouchi told her.

"You better Katsuya," She grumbled.

"You have any idea what they're talking about?" Honda asked Yugi.

"Jounouchi was taken in by Sachiko-San, they usually do something on Sunday's," Yugi stated, "last time they did a movie night last time, it was all Hong Kong action."

"Huh, he never told me that," Honda grumbled.

The happy moment didn't last long when a group of thugs came up behind them. A tire was tossed over Jounouchi and one of the thugs grabbed Winter and twisted her arm behind her back. Honda let out a yell of surprise when a fist made itself known. The boys were beaten up and Winter was pinned to the ground so she couldn't help. The thugs stopped after all the boys were groaning on the ground. They released her and she ran over to the boys to check up on them.

"Yugi! Jounouchi! Honda!" She called, she reached Yugi first and gently prodded his face with a hand, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Winter?" Yugi softly asked.

Winter smiled and brought him in for a hug before she dug into her bag and searched for her first aid kit. She brought it out and began to patch up her friends. Jounouchi and Honda shared a look and it was a unanimous decision to get revenge. It surprised the two when Winter and Yugi joined them. They found the thugs in the nearby arcade and three of them walked up to the group.

"Unlike you guys we don't attack from behind," Jounouchi stated, "now where are my shoes?"

The thugs scoffed and the three shared a look before hanging up on the thugs. Yugi watched in amazement as his friends defeated a group of thugs by themselves. Jounouchi picked up the leader by the front of his shirt and gave him a cold look. He then slammed a fist into the man's face.

"Now where are my shoes?" He asked.

"You broke my nose," the thugs cried, "it was the shopkeeper he paid us to take back your shoes! Just don't hurt us anymore."

Winters' eyes went wide before growing to an angry dark crimson. Jounouchi went to say something to her but found that she was missing from the scene. The puzzle around Yugi's neck was glowing and his eyes widened slightly. That kind of glow only came from someone who was performing a shadow game. The group of three headed towards the shop, and Jounouchi wondered what they'd find.

Inside the shop, the owner was snickering to himself. He jumped when the door slammed open and Winter stood there with a glare on her face. She was pissed and wanted him to pay for going after her best friend.

"We're closed kid," The owner stated.

"Return my friends shoes," She snapped, "or rather, we can play a game for them. A game of guts perhaps?"

"Fine," the shopkeeper growled out.

He placed the shoes on the counter and Winter dropped a few coins into one of the shoes. He looked at her in surprise and he couldn't help but wonder if she knew that he had dropped the scorpion into the shoe. He growled as the teen gave him a blank look. He frowned at a sudden thought. Weren't her eyes hazel the last time he saw her?

"I'll start," She stated.

"Fine but the coins will all be worth a hundred thousand," He bartered.

"Okay," Winter nodded.

Her hand sent to the shoe and she grabbed a coin. He eyed the shoe and began to lower his shaking hand towards the gaping mouth of the shoe. Crimson eyes watched the owner with a blank dislike. She was counting on his greed to cause his loss. For some reason, she knew that he'd do exactly that. Call it a hunch on her part.

"You won't harm your master, right girl?" The owner asked the scorpion.

He grasped a coin and brought it out of the shoe with a sigh. He watched as she calmly took another coin from the shoe. A sudden thought crossed his mind and a smirk appeared on his face.

"I can grab as many coins as I'd like, right?" He asked.

"That is the concept of the game," she stated.

"Then I'll do it this way!" He shouted stabbing a knife into the shoe.

He pushed his hand inside it and grasped all the coins. A smirk replaced the surprised look on Winters' face. His greed caused him to activate a penalty game. A golden eye appeared on her forehead as she smirked.

"I'm your rush to satisfy your greed you seem to have gotten stuck, I wonder if the scorpion is actually dead," She stated.

The owner gasped as an invisible force held onto his hand. A skittering sound came from the shoe and he let out a yell of pain as his own scorpion stung him multiple times with her stinger. Winter walked over to the landline and called an ambulance for the owner. He fell to the ground and she grabbed Jounouchi's shoes and headed out of the store. She blinked when her friends ran right up to her.

"Here are your shoes Jounouchi," she stated.

"How'd you get them back?" He questioned as he pulled them on.

"I tricked him into playing his own game, he tried to kill the scorpion in the shoe so that's why there's a hole in it," Winter stated in an apologetic tone.

"Who cares it's like a badge of honor," Jounouchi stated with a grin.

The group all headed home after that and Winter sighed as she placed her recent monster design into a folder to send to Pegasus. They seemed to have an understanding, she draws a monster and he sends her a card of it before deciding if it should be a mainstream monster or not. She placed it in the mailbox before heading inside to help Sachiko with the hot pot they were having that night. Jounouchi was loudly singing to the radio as he chopped up vegetables for the dish. She joined him as she carved the meat, Sachiko sighed at the two and watched as they broke off into solos.

"Is everything ready?" Sachiko asked.

"Yeah," Winter responded as the two brought in the ingredients to the dining table.

Akira laughed happily as everyone began to pile food into it and cook it. He had to clean up that night and he found that he didn't mind as Jounouchi and Winter talked about what had happened during the school day. Granted hearing about a teacher's makeup falling to pieces like a jigsaw was probably the weirdest thing he had heard in his lifetime. After dinner, the two headed into the living room to play some Nintendo 64 together. Watching the two fight in smash was always entertaining. The phone rang after the cleanup was done and he answered the phone.

"Hello, Akihoshi household," Akira answered.

"Is Winter home?" Came the soft voice of one Yugi.

"Yes, She is," Akira called for Winter and she came running.

"Hello?" She asked into the phone after her grandfather handed it to her.

"Ah, there's an Egyptian exhibit at the art museum tomorrow, one of the professors invited everyone," Yugi told her, "Anzu and Honda already said they were going."

"Count Jounouchi and I in, I'll get him there tomorrow," Winter told him with a smile. "See you tomorrow Yugi."

"Of course," Yugi stated.

She could tell he was grinning on the other end. She hung up and headed back to the living room to cream Jounouchi in the game. Sachiko noticed at eleven that the noise from the living room had stopped and looked in. A familiar sight met her eyes and she gave a sad smile. Jounouchi and Winter have fallen asleep on the couch and were resting on each other's shoulders. Winter used to be like that with her brother. Sachiko chuckled and placed a blanket over the two before turning off the TV and video game console. She headed up to bed and went to sleep.

The next morning found Winter waking up before Jounouchi and shuffling to her room. She looked at the duel monsters deck that sat on her desk and noticed that a card had fallen off the stack. She walked up and picked the wayward card up. The Dark Magician stared at her and she blinked at the position he was in. If she didn't know any better she'd think he was pouting. She would never say it out loud, but it was probably one of the cutest things she'd seen, the only thing that had it beat was Yugi's grin as he ate a burger.

"What's got you so upset?" She quietly questioned the card, she wasn't even going to touch on the fact that she was talking to a card. "It has to be something important if that's the expression your making."

The duel monster shifted to one of an exasperated emotion. She didn't know what she had done to irritate the card, but she knew she wasn't going to apologize. She slightly bounced the card and made a face as the monster held onto the edge of the picture.

"I'll bring you with me, okay?" She quietly questioned, the monster gave her an affirmative face, "I'll find a small case. Don't move from the table."

She placed it on her desk and wondered if she was finally losing it as she changed into a purple long sleeved shirt and black leather pants. She found a clear card container and placed the Dark Magician into it before tying a string through the small hole at the top of the plastic. She placed it around her neck and made sure the card could see what she could.

"Mornin'," she greeted Sachiko as the woman looked into the room.

Sachiko made a face at her clothes but said nothing as she shuffled downstairs. Winter smirked to herself before grabbing her favorite bag. Her sketchbook went into the bag and so did a Kuriboh wallet. She pulled the strap over her head and rested it on her shoulder. The card around her neck seemed to sit down before shifting into its regular position. She headed downstairs and had a light breakfast before making lunch for everyone. Sachiko smiled proudly as Winter put all the food into a picnic Bento. Jounouchi shuffled in due to the smell of food and was given some toast and eggs. He happily ate and watched as the bento was put together before being put in a cloth carrier.

"Jounouchi, we're taking the motorcycle today," Winter grinned at him.

Sachiko took his dirty dishes before he was dragged to the front door. He put on his new sneakers and Winter pulled on a pair of combat boots. The two left the house and Akira chuckled to himself at how close the two were. The sound of a motorcycle starting caused him to laugh at how long it had been since he heard that. He wondered how much that boy was going to enjoy that drive.

Jounouchi was out in charge of holding onto lunch and he was slightly scared when Winter made her way through the early morning traffic. They weaved through the card and took the right exit for the Museum. He sighed in quiet relief when he spotted their group of friends outside the museum. They all turned to see who had parked and watched as the helmets came off to reveal a smiling Winter and spooked Jounouchi.

"You drive like a maniac," Jounouchi told her as she gathered her keys.

If either of them had paid attention to the card around her neck they would've seen one Dark Magician nodding in agreement to that statement. That said Winter simply rolled her eyes and they joined their group of friends. The two blinked at the sight of Yugi in his school uniform.

"A school uniform on a day off?" Winter quietly asked.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Yugi curiously asked.

"No, it suits you Yugi," Winter told him with a soft smile.

He noticed the card around her neck and his eyes went wide at the rare card. She took it off and allowed him to study it. His gleeful expression made a smile appear on her face. Grandpa looked over at the two and chortled slightly before looking for his friend.

"Ah, Mutou-San!" An elderly voice called.

"There's my friend," Grandpa stated, "good morning."

"Sorry I didn't write while I was gone," The man stated.

"I'm just as guilty my friend," Grandpa stated.

Yugi handed back the duel monster card and it was placed around Winters' neck. She looked at the professor and he smiled at her. She waved and looked back to Grandpa. He finally turned towards the group.

"Everyone, this is my friend Professor Yoshimori," Grandpa introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Yoshimori stated, a shorter man that reminded Winter of a thumb walked up, "this is my sponsor and the superintendent of the museum."

"Please call me Kanekura," The man stated, "welcome to my museum."

He turned to Yoshimori and quietly asked about the millennium puzzle. Winter narrowed her eyes slightly and held onto the bottom of her duel monster card. There was something about the man that rubbed her the wrong way. A slight warmth on her hand almost caused her to jump. It felt like another hand on hers.

"Mutou-San, you said that your grandson finished the millennium puzzle?" Yoshimori asked.

"So I did," Grandpa chuckled.

Kanekura looked into the group and his eyes landed on the puzzle. It flashed in the sunlight and Winter caught the greed in his eyes. She inwardly growled at that and stepped closer to Yugi.

"Oh, so that's the millennium puzzle!" Kanekura stated.

He rushed forward to hold the puzzle but was stopped by a single hand from Winter. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him, and she wouldn't be able to throw him very far. He looked up at her and noted the distrust on her face.

"Winter?" Yugi asked.

"Instead of running towards him you could've asked to see it," She informed the director in a gruff voice.

"She's right," Anzu agreed.

"I-I would like to put the puzzle on display for the day," Kanekura stated, "I apologize for getting so excited."

"Just for today," Yugi stated.

Kanekura let out a smile before the puzzle was placed in his hands. He began to let out waves of greed and she picked up on it. She clenched her fist and narrowed her eyes even more at the man. Yoshimori started his tour of the museum and no one was surprised when a sketchbook was brought out by Winter. She seemed oblivious as she sketched the different exhibits and the people looking at the exhibits. Yoshimori began to inform them about the history of Egyptian Artifacts and museums.

"What's this? It's so pretty," Anzu asked.

"That's the Judgement of the Dead," Winter answered.

"You seem pretty knowledgeable about such things, much like my new apprentice from Egypt," Yoshimori chuckled, "indeed the dead would have their hearts weight against a feather before the god Osiris. If the heart turned out heavier than the feather than the demon Ammit would devour it."

"So it's similar to Enma-San," Honda worked out.

"Yes, but Enma-San would be similar to it, Kemet came up with it first," Winter stated.

"Sensei, There have been issues with the displays in the mummy corner, one of them seems to be falling," a woman with long brown hair stated as she walked up to the group.

"Thank you Futaba, tell them to tether a new role to secure it," Yoshimori instructed.

Futaba nodded and headed off to do just that. Yoshimori turned to the group and gave them all a smile. He then leads the way to the mummy room. Jounouchi was the first to move forward since he believed in curses. Winter was drawing when she noticed a man standing in front of the display. She walked over to see the man crying and internally freaked out. She was joined by Yugi who noticed it as well.

"Why are you crying?" Yugi asked.

The man was a bit startled before looking back towards the mummy. Winter looked at the corpse as well and tilted her head. Sure it was kind of sad, but it couldn't have been that much to cry over. She then realized that some people were far more sensitive than she was.

"These tears are not my own," The man finally said, "though he is in this rotted state he used to be a great pharaoh who had been denied his eternal rest. His sadness is represented as the tears on my face."

Winter concentrated on the mummy and this time she could actually feel the sadness leaking from the corpse. It made her remember the pain she felt after the loss of her brother. A hand traveled to her card and grasped it. It provided a bit of happiness for her before the man placed a hand on her shoulder and then on Yugi's head.

"You are kind children," he told them.

Yugi fumed at that quietly as Winter's eyes fixated on the key that was around his neck. She felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of it and she almost felt the need to remove it from his neck. She grasped her hand in an attempt to ignore that feeling. It wasn't hers, she had no right to remove it from his neck. He walked away from them before Yugi notes her dilemma.

"Winter?" He asked.

"It's nothing Yugi, don't worry about it," She smiled at him and began drawing again.

She went up to a different Mummy as Yugi regrouped with the others. Her eyes looked over the mummy and noticed a vertical cut across his body, it was almost like he'd been hit by something swinging. The mummy's long hair was wispy and the skin was pulled taught against the face. She frowned and began to sketch what the mummy could've looked like while alive. When she finished she was surprised to see the face of the dark Magician staring back at her, granted his skin was far darker than the duel monsters card, but it couldn't be anyone else. She picked up the card and looked at the monster who looked sorrowful.

"I'm sorry," She quietly told the card, "I suppose this means you'll never get a restful peace."

The monster heard a small splash and looked up from the mummy to see that its wielder was crying quietly. It looked at her sadly and felt touched that she would cry for him. She wiped her tears when she heard footsteps approach her. The man from earlier joined her in the display case.

"You are a strange child," He told her, "you feel compassion for those you do not know."

"No, I've known him since I can remember," She truthfully stated, "I've always drawn him and his student. I just never knew until now that he was real."

The man gave her a sideways glance and noticed the sadness reflected on her face before it was carefully schooled away. One of her friends came running towards them and dragged her to go take a picture with a display. He didn't let the surprise register on his face as he caught a glimpse of the mummy's face on the piece of her paper. The priest who served the unnamed pharaoh had been found in a tomb and never given a proper burial because it had been too dangerous at the time. She seemed to be tied into everything. In what way, he couldn't say. He just knew.

"She's an interesting child," he muttered, he moved to watch his target.

Winter was taking a picture with her friends in front of the puzzle when she felt two presences behind her. She smiled for the camera and after the photo was taken she looked to see if she could find who had been behind her. She blinked when she saw that no one was there, but she could still feel them. She shook her head as the group breaker for lunch, Yoshimori surprised at the surplus of food.

"Woah, I didn't know you could cook," Honda stated, he was happily eating an Onigiri.

"I used to make my lunches back home," Winter admitted, "my mother taught me everything she knew."

It was a sad smile that was given to Honda and he could already guess what happened. He stayed quiet about it and watched as Jounouchi said something stupid to get both girls on his case. He watched Yugi chuckle at the threes antics before blushing when Winter gave him a look of disbelief. It was nice to see that no man was immune to a woman's look of sadness. Yugi quickly took the girls side, and Honda was amused at his quick, and smart, thinking.

"I'm going to head home after this, you staying Winter?" Jounouchi questioned.

"Yeah, I'm going to do some studies of the French artwork that's in the museum," Winter admitted.

The group all smiled and broke off to do their own things. Honda, Jounouchi, Anzu, and Grandpa all decided to head home. Yugi, Winter, and Yoshimori all stayed at the museum. Yugi wanted to get his puzzle back and Yoshimori had a few displays to fix before heading back to his office. They enjoyed the rest of their day and soon the sun began to fall over the horizon.

Winter was back in the Egyptian wing of the museum when she felt a sudden chill go down her spine. Her breath came out in a small white cloud and she looked around at the empty wing. She could tell that it was something similar to a shadow game, but not at the same time. It felt that the loss of this game would cause the loss of life.

"I should make sure Yugi gets his puzzle back," Winter muttered.

She placed her sketchbook under her arm and headed down the mummy corner. She almost ran into Yugi who had stopped in the middle of the room. She blinked before her eyes widened at the sight of the golden key pressed against his forehead. The man from earlier was knelt in front of Yugi and wasn't moving. She tentatively placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder and she backed up when her world turned into a series of stairs. She then held her arms as she felt a cold, oppressive air beat down upon her. She looked around at the different doors and became a little worried about the area she found herself in. A glimpse of white cloth caught her attention and she ran after it. The cloth was attached to the man from earlier.

"Hey, do you know what's going on?" She asked.

The man jumped and spun on his heel to face her. His surprise was written on his face as he looked towards the teen whose eyes had been a glimmering hazel but was now a bright crimson. She confused him, she shouldn't have been able to see him. Yet, she could see him and converse with him like another who he allowed to see him. She was looking at the different doors before walking up to one and gently prying it open. Water trickled out of it and she quickly closed it.

"Your friend has a second room to his mind," The man stated after a few seconds.

"Probably the spirit from the puzzle, he's been dubbed Yami," Winter smiled slightly, "it explains why it's decrepit in here. He's missing memories it seems."

The man watched as she walked forward and continued to look around. Anything that befell her would be her problem. He continued his game of attempting to find the spirit in his true room. She was the least of his worries. There wasn't much she could do. Winter looked back towards the man before continuing her walk. She had the feeling that man had something to do with why she was in this situation. She stopped outside of a door and felt an odd warmth coming from the door. The card around her neck turned warm as well and she opened the door.

"So you've found my room, Shadi," came Yami's voice.

"I think I'm far prettier than Shadi," Winter teased.

He blinked as he realized who had truly opened the door. His crimson eyes were wide as Winter closed the door behind her. He noted that she was about to step into a trap.

"You'll fall through the floor if you step there," he warned her.

He got up and walked around the trap and lead her towards the middle of the room. His stone throne was situated in the middle and he smirked as Winter studied the room. Her hands were behind her back as she looked at everything. His eyes noted the crimson color of her eyes and he missed the warm color of her usual color. She pushed her hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

He took a seat in his throne and crossed his arms across his chest. The door opened once again and this time Shadi entered the room. His eyes traveled to Winter and the man made a face.

"Hello," Yami greeted.

Winter gave him a look as Shadi walked towards the throne. The floor crumbled under his feet and he quickly grasped onto the floors ledge. He grimaced up at the spirit who was smirking down at him. Winter had been situated on the throne and was watching with a worried expression. Yami gave Shadi a look.

"I'm not going to push you in," Yami informed the man, "take the hand, it's not a trap."

Shadi looked at him before accepting the hand that was held out to him. Yami pulled up the older man with ease. It was an ease that made Winter blink in amazement. Shadi knelt on the ground and caught his breath as she went to get up. Yami turned to look at her and his expression softened slightly. Shadi handy missed that as she walked up to them.

"I am in your debt," Shadi stated.

"Perhaps this will teach you to stay out of people's minds for now on," Yami stated, "you should leave while you can."

"I suppose I have lost this game," Shadi stated.

He canceled the connection between the minds and Yugi blinked as Winter fell back onto the ground breathing heavily. He rushed to his friend's side and placed a hand against her back. Shadi was in a similar state, except he bounced back faster than she did. He looked towards them before handing Yugi his puzzle.

"I don't know how you got this, but thank you," Yugi stated.

"There is no need to thank me, for I am the one in debt," Shadi stated.

"In debt?" Yugi asked.

"To the other you," Shadi confirmed.

"Other me?" Yugi asked in confusion.

"It is created by the darkness of the puzzle, anyone who completed it is welcomed a life of darkness," Shadi informed Yugi, "What is your name boy?"

"It's Yugi," Yugi stated, "not a boy."

"I'm Shadi," Was all he stated before leaving the two.

Yugi looked after his retreating figure and felt as though it wouldn't be the last time he saw him. Winter finally stood to her feet and he turned to see her staring after Shadi. She looked thoughtful for a few seconds before shrugging. She looked towards her wristwatch and noted the time.

"Need a lift home?" Winter offered.

"S-Sure," Yugi accepted.

The two made it to her motorcycle and he easily placed the spare helmet over his head. Winter stopped herself from laughing at the random spikes of hair that stuck out from the opening of the helmet. She placed hers on and got on the motorcycle. He climbed on and wrapped his arms around her waist. She started up the motorcycle and then revved the engine before taking arms tightened around her waist as she got onto the freeway and drove to the appropriate exit. After a half hour, she came to a stop outside of the Game shop. She parked and Yugi kept his arms around her waist.

"Yugi, we're here," She told him.

He seems to reluctantly remove his arms and take off the helmet. His eyes were bright and his cheeks were flushed. The grin on his face caused Winter to smile softly. He handed her the spare helmet and she put it in the small trunk attached to her motorcycle. He waved to her as he ran inside the Game shop. The tell-tale noise of her departure was the sound of her motorcycle engine revving up before taking off.

"You Okay Yugi?" Hana asked.

"I'm great!" Yugi stated with a grin, his earlier thoughts on Shadi's words a thing of the past.

Hana smiled at her son as he scampered past her and up to his room. She shook her wad and continued to cook dinner. Apparently, someone had been smart enough to bring lunch for everyone. She wondered which of the girls it was. It was most likely Winter. That girl was just like her Aunt sometimes. Yugi came back down the stairs without his school jacket and she kept in a chuckle at the happy humming coming from him. His father was exactly the same. When the two boys were happy they hummed. That hum was always brought about by a girl. He used to do that when he first became friends with Anzu, the humming was louder now and she smiled. She was just glad that someone made him feel that way.

The TV in the dining room was turned on for once and Grandpa was watching in worry. Not even five minutes after his grandson got home did something bad happen at the museum. Yugi stopped humming as soon as he saw the broadcast. He felt bad for Yoshimori, the reporters were calling it a curse from the tomb.

It seemed unanimous when he and Grandpa ended up at Yoshimori's office. Everyone was there and Winter was talking to Jounouchi in a quiet conversation. They both had some dirt on their faces. Apparently, they had begun to plant the fruit trees that Sachiko ordered. Then they heard the news on the radio built into the motorcycle and went to give their condolences to Yoshimori.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Yugi muttered.

They all entered the school and headed towards Yoshimori's office. Jounouchi stated close to Winter and Anzu snickered at his fear as Honda looked around in slight nervousness. There was something about a school at night that could make your skin crawl. Everyone peeled up to make the professor happy and stuck their heads through a now opened door.

"Hey professor, we've come to cheer you up!" They all exclaimed.

"I've been expecting you," Yoshimori stated, "please come in."

The group walked in and Winter stopped near a corner. There was something very odd about the professor. Her heart began to thud in her ears as she stared at the man. He should be grieving but was oddly happy, it wasn't like the man she had met earlier that morning. The others thought it was strange, but decided that he was just in shock.

"We brought you some souvenirs from when you showed us around the museum," Jounouchi cheerfully stated.

"Jounouchi you idiot," Anzu hissed at him.

"Ah yes, the museum," Yoshimori stated, "sadly I killed him…the curator."

Everyone looked at him in surprise and Winter narrowed her eyes as she began to search the room. She had a feeling that Shadi had something to do with this. She didn't know what he was doing, but it had to stop before anyone else got hurt.

"Professor, what do you mean by that?" She asked.

All eyes turned to her and noted the defensive posture she was in. Jounouchi could say she was similar to a dog, sometimes she just knew when danger was around. The puzzle glinted slightly as the spirit shifted slightly at the change of emotions in the room.

"I was waiting for Yugi…" Yoshimori stated.

He then took off towards the group. His hands wrapped around Jounouchi's neck and Winters eyes widened in horror. She went to move but felt as though something was keeping her back. It was like a person was standing in her way. She watched helplessly as Jounouchi was strangled.

"I want to see the other Yugi," Yoshimori stated.

"I knew it," Yugi stated, "Shadi show yourself!"

Shadi appeared behind Winter and she was finally able to move forward to help her brother in everything except blood. He watched the scene in a very bored manner. He was there for the other Yugi, not the smaller one.

"What did you do to the professor Shadi?" Yugi questioned.

"If my theory is correct I'll see him soon," Shadi stated, "The other Yugi."

Jounouchi was starting to turn blue and Winter bright a fist up and slammed it into the professors face. On her own face was an apologetic expression. Yoshimori was removed from Jounouchi and the teen began to gasp for breath, he gave Winter a thumbs up and she smiled softly. The professor got back up and everyone was taking turns dodging him. Shadi gave Winter a look of annoyance before a thought crossed his mind, he should make the girl a puppet. The other Yugi seemed to care for her. He almost smirked at his plan. He brought up his key and placed it on the back of her head. Her eyes went wide before going blank as he entered her mind.

"This mind is interesting," Shadi admitted.

The floors and walls were made from a beautiful mahogany. He noted that the room was much larger than some of the others he had been in. His sandal cladded feet crossed the shiny wood as he walked around the room. The walls had frames of precious memories and he saw inside of those memories a little boy with messy black hair and hazel eyes. The frames with those memories were charred and the smell of smoke came from them, he knew that was the sign of loss from a fire. The further he entered the room the more the smell stood out, the wood floors slowly blackened before his steps could be seen trailing behind him in the soot.

"This child has suffered a heavy loss," Shadi muttered, his hand went across the pictures of monsters on the wall, "but she has a connection to the shadow realm, interesting. The key is…resisting me a little. No matter."

He was rewriting what he needed when a sudden cough got his attention. He turned and saw a very familiar monster looking down upon him. The Dark Magician looked pissed to see him. I've blue eyes were narrowed in anger as the green staff was aimed at him.

"Leave or perish," The Dark Magician threatened.

Shadi moves and gave a stiff nod before exiting out of the girl's mind. He already had her under his control. He came back as Grandpa moved to help his friend and got knocked back into a bookshelf. Jounouchi decided right then a there that he had to get the professor away from his friends.

"Come to get me ya dumbass!" Jounouchi taunted.

The professor took to it and ran after Jounouchi as he ran from the room. Honda had followed after and Yugi went to his Grandpa. He was starting to get angry at Shadi. He hurt his Grandpa and his friends.

"You have good friends, Yugi," Shadi stated.

Yugi turned to face him and his eyes widened. Winters' eyes were dull and unseeing. He felt an anger bubble up in him, and for once he had an inkling to whom it belonged to. For once he really agreed with it.

"What did you do to her?" Yugi asked.

"This Girl is nothing more than a puppet now," Shadi stated, "she cannot move until I will it."

Yugi watched as some of her fingers twitched at that and he wondered if she was fighting his control. He still felt his body trembling in rage. He had never wanted to hurt someone before now. Not even an hour ago he was riding on the back of Winter's motorcycle and having the time of his life. Now she was under someone else's control.

"Listen carefully to Yugi," Shadi stated, "this girl has a has a trigger word if I command her to die she will."

Yugi felt the combined anger meet a crescendo and his heart jolted before he willingly welcomed the darkness. Yami stood in his place with a deep scowl on his face. His eyes met Winter's and his anger increased tenfold. Shadi looked at Yami in surprise when he saw such hateful eyes cast upon his person.

"How dare you, Shadi!" Yami stated.

"Our second game will now commence," Shadi simply told him.

Yami gritted his teeth as he searched Winters' face. There was no sign of life in her eyes. He didn't want her to die. His eyes widened in surprise at that confession. He cared too much about her.

"I accept your challenge," Yami stated.

"The game will start in ten minutes upon the roof," Shadi stated, "I will head up there now to set up the game."

Shadi exited the room and he turned in slight surprise when Winter refused to move. He could feel her fighting the keys power and it almost seemed like it was trying to help her. He overpowered her will and she slowly followed after him, fighting the entire way. Yami saw it and he felt slightly relieved as she gave him a very twitchy thumbs up. He looked towards the clock and waited for five minutes. He then made his way to the roof, it took him five minutes to do so. He opened the door and what he saw made his heart skip a beat. Winter was standing on the ledge to the building, her hand up in the air with the key that was usually around Shadi's neck above it. It was connected by a rope that was tied around a doll of sorts. He immediately ran towards the gate separating him from Winter.

"Shadi! You are going too far!" Yami shouted at him, he was barely able to touch her hand.

Her skin was cold and he could barely see her shivering. It was autumn and the nights were getting to be cold. The spirit knew he had no room to talk, he had to use another's body to even be seen by anyone.

"Before I explain the rules, I want to say something concerning the millennium puzzle," Shadi stated, Yami looked towards him in confusion, "I do not know how or why the puzzle came into your possession, all I know is that it might've been a coincidence that you were able to even solve it. What bothers me is that after three thousand years the puzzle chose you, my family and I are those who were chosen to use the power of the millennium items."

"I do not care to Jodi your family," Yami informed him, "I don't even want to hear about this! Explain the rules!"

"So you're afraid," Shadi stated.

Yami moves as though he had been struck. He couldn't fathom why he Shadi had said that. Angry, yes he was positively livid, but he wasn't afraid.

"You are afraid of the power that is hidden deep within your mind," Shadi stated, "and that is your weakness."

Winter stepped closer to the edge and he finally noticed that there were four extra statues, well three now that one of them broke. The pieces clattered to the ground, the sound piercing in the silence. Yami looked towards Shadi for an explanation.

"The game has begun," Shadi stated, "those ushabtis reveal the state of your mind, and are the only thing keeping your friend from stepping off the ledge. Any time you show any weakness the Ushabti will break."

"I see," Yami growled.

"I myself have one Ushabti that will break upon your victory," Shadi stated, "it will drop the millennium key into her hand and free her from my influence. Do you get it? He with the weaker mind will lose this game."

Yami immediately figured out what the game truly was. It was a weighing of hearts. He frowned and prepared himself for the first test. A cracking sound caught his attention and he looked towards the ground. Hands had sprouted out of the ground and what quickly followed them were moving corpses. The smell of rotting flesh hit his nose and he crinkled his nose as the bodies moved towards him. He went to move out of their path but hands grasped at his ankles and locked him in place.

"I crawl from the earth and cling to a pillar, that is the clue to your first test," Shadi informed him.

Yami thought it over and slowly began to panic as the hands traveled to his face. One of his Ushabti cracked and he looked towards it before forcing himself to calm down. He couldn't lose his head in a situation like this. He closed his eyes to concentrate on the answer and he could faintly remember Winter quoting a riddle like this. She had used it as an example in an English assignment that his host had gotten stuck on. His eyes snapped open, it was such a simple riddle after he thought about it.

"The answer is my shadow!" Yami stated.

The illusion broke and Shadi gave a curt nod.

"You have cleared the first stage, now the true test begins," Shadi stated, the ground cracked once again, "this game is far harder than the last."

A soft sound came from Winters direction. Shadi sent his "puppet" a look. She had been fighting him at every step. Even the 'that's what she said' she had softly stated was proof of her mental capabilities. It didn't help that the priest that was stuck in her head was stronger than he. That priest seemed to be fond of the girl. Her hand inched towards the key and he narrowed his eyes to stop her.

"What is this?" Yami's voice brought him out of his attempts.

"You are unable to run away from this game," Shadi informed him, "this is a shadow game of deadly Sinkei Suijaku. The only way to escape Ammit's crucifixion is to win this game."

"There are nine slates!" Yami stated, "In Sinkei Juijaku you turn cards until all are matched! No matter how many I match one will be left out!"

"That's right only the center slate would remain," Shadi stated, "for this game, you are not to turn the slates, but instead figure out what is reflected by the slates. Indeed they are a mirror reflection of Ammit."

Yami began to panic once again. Shadi was playing an unfair game. He heard a loud crack and looked towards his cracking Ushabti. That calmed him down in an instant. He wasn't going to let her die. His time was ticking by in a fast manner and then it hit him as he reached the final ten seconds.

"The pairs are his eyes, ears, nostrils, and hands the only thing it has one of us its mouth," she answered.

"That is correct, now we move to the final game," Shadi stated.

A slight yelp caught their attention and they turned to see Winter clutching to the edge of the building. Shadi's eyes widened and his Ushabti cracked slightly. There was no way she could've been able to throw him off completely. Yami looked relieved as she gave him a nervous grin as she grasped onto the edge with all of her strength.

"Your opponent for the final game will be a very familiar face," Shadi stated.

Yami blinked in surprise when an Illusion of Jounouchi snatched the puzzle from around his neck. The illusion was almost silent and he remembered his host's friend had been before they had become friends. A bully, Shadi brought to life Yugi's worst memory of his friend.

"The final game is a game to the death," Shadi announced.

"A game to the death?" Winter grunted in confusion.

Her lack of concentration caused her to slip a little from the edge. She fought to regain her grasp and began to sweat slightly as she returned her attention to the game. Yami was looking at Jounouchi in slight anger and sadness. He almost seemed to not be worried about the fact that he was on a cross-shaped island with a valley surrounding it.

"I refuse to play this game, Jounouchi!" Yami stated.

"What'd I do?" Jounouchi's voice came from under Winter.

"Nothing, it's illusion you," Winter stated before blinking and looking at him, "you able to give me a lift up?"

"Yeah, give me a second," Jounouchi stated.

He placed a hand on her foot and helped her climb back onto the edge. She sat down with her legs swinging and he headed back inside as the zombie professor gave pursuit. She stood and grasped onto the gate. Shadi looked towards her and saw the key that was in her grasp. It was glowing softly and she saw the eye on her forehead. Her eyes met his and the hazel hardened and crimson flecks appeared in them. The crimson no longer overpowered the hazel.

"This must be your treasure since you're acting like a girl about it it must be pretty valuable," Illusion Jounouchi stated.

Yugi and Yami reacted to that and two of the Ushabti broke and the one that remained cracked. He took in a shaky breath before clearing his head. The illusion took the first turn and Yami was sent towards the edge of the valley.

"I refuse to play against you," Yami stated.

The illusion took his next move and Yami moved closer to the edge. The illusion paused as he picked up the puzzle before meeting Yami's eyes.

"I pass," Yami stated.

"Are you quitting the game? Are you admitting defeat?!" Shadi asked.

"Not quite Shadi, I have faith in my friends," Yami stated.

Shadi was about to say something when he saw the illusion smile softly at that before fading. Winter gave a quiet cheer and began to climb over the fence as the floor returned to normal. Yami barely had enough time to put his puzzle on when arms were wrapped around him. His cheeks tinted a slight pink before he hugged her back. They heard some cracking and noticed that Shadi's Ushabti was cracking in multiple places.

"To only believe in yourself is not the path to strength," Yami informed him. "The power of a friends trust is the true strength."

The Ushabti broke and Shadi stated at the key in Winters' hand. He could no longer feel his connection to it. Instead, he could see the connection to her. She had become an owner of one of his Millennium items, such a thing was not unheard of but it was indeed rare.

"Can you guys help me out?!" Jounouchi asked as he ran past them with Honda.

The professor was following after and Winter calmly brought the key up and placed it against the man's forehead. The professor looked around in confusion before touching his aching face. The two boys took him towards the nurse's office to get him an ice pack, or two. Winter sighed in relief before feeling something on her hand. She looked towards Yami and noticed that he had a grip on it and he began to lead her back into the building. She smiled softly and grasped his hand back. The two of them gained a light pink dusting on their cheeks but no words were exchanged.

Shadi looked towards them one final time and they knew that that boy was the one of prophecy. For which one he did not know. He just knew that everything will end up peaceful in the end.


	5. Chapter 5

The Jingo: Thank you!

Silentnight00: thank you so much! Hopefully this chapter is as good as the others!

* * *

Chapter 5. _Fanged Cards and Digital Pets_

* * *

Winter and Yugi eyed each other before Winter placed down a card face up. It was placed in the rock zone and Yugi made a face.

"I place the "C" Ranger Shine Black in the rock zone, making its attack points rise to twenty five hundred," Winter stated, "that means I've defeated your feral Imp."

"I guess I lose," Yugi chuckled.

The two grinned at each other and Anzu marked down the final score between the two. So far they were both neck in neck in the amount of rounds won. Jounouchi looked between the two and sighed with a fond smile on his face. He then thought back to the boy who had transferred into their class the other day. Seto Kaiba. It might've been because he'd been around the spirit of the puzzle and Winter for too long, but something about that boy set him on edge. His actions at Grandpa's shop hadn't helped him either.

"Speak of the devil," He muttered as said brunette walked up to the table.

"Yugi-kun," Kaiba greeted.

"Kaiba-Kun," Yugi greeted back.

Seto Kaiba looked at the two friends and noticed the similar items that hung from their necks. Yugi's was a pyramid shaped puzzle and Winters was a cross shaped key, he looked towards the field that was still down and noted a few rare cards in her possession. He met her eyes and he was almost startled at the slight distrust and suspicion that glinted in them. He had to play his cards right, otherwise his plan would fail.

"Your game is fun to watch," He smiled, "did…did you bring the blue eyes white dragon to school?"

"Jiji allowed me to bring it today, but asked me not to play with it," Yugi stated.

"That's very sweet of you to follow through," Winter smiled, Anzu nodded in agreement and fixed Kaiba a strange look.

"That's all right, after seeing it yesterday I was too excited to sleep," Seto claimed, "I do understand what your Jiji said about the card, but I'm quite taken with it."

Winter paused as she reached for her Dark Magician. Those words caused her eyes to snap towards him and narrow. There was something fishy about the brunette, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Her free hand went to her key and she could feel the gold warm up at her touch before she looked towards Seto again. He was lucky that she refused to enter peoples minds. Screw with them most definitely, but enter them she couldn't fathom doing such a thing. Such power corrupts people.

"All right, you can see it!" Yugi chirped, dogging in his bag and bringing out the card to hand to Seto.

"Ah, it's just as beautiful as I remember," Seto stated.

Winter didn't miss it as he reached into his back pocket and grabbed a fake card. He slipped the real card into his sleeve and made it look like he had a scratch on his back as he brought out the false one. He handed the fake to Yugi.

"Thank you, when I see that card it deepens my love for the game," Seto stated before walking away.

"Did he just do what I think he did?" Winter quietly asked Yugi.

She got a nod and a scowl appeared on her face before it lifted. She was going to distract Yugi with another match of duel monsters. He easily accepted the match and he chuckled as he won the round with ease. They cleaned up the cards and the field mat before the teacher came back in. Yugi made a face as a sketchbook was brought out and a piece of paper flew out of it. He easily picked it up from the ground and handed it back to her. He didn't even question the Industrial Illusion stamp on it. He knew that she collaborated with Pegasus on creating certain cards.

Their class ended and Winter walked with him as he went to confront Seto. He was nervous and a gentle hand on his shoulder caused him to calm down a little. They watched as he exited the school in a nonchalant manner.

"Kaiba-kun," Yugi stated.

"Yugi-Kun, are you and Winter-Chan heading home together?" Seto asked in confusion.

"Kaiba-kun, please give me my card back," Yugi stated, "when I showed it to you earlier you switched it with a fake."

"An I saw you do it with my own eyes, so don't you even try to deny it Kaiba," Winter growled, "you are supposed to be a top duelist, it's in bad taste,"

"Shut up, what does an amateur know about bad taste? Aren't your hands in bad taste?" Seto asked.

Yugi scowled at that as Winter flinched at his words. Her scarred hands were still a sore spot for her. Even if she had some of the softest hands he knew, she had a strange habit of grasping onto another's persons hand to lead them to places. Anzu admitted that on one of their girls hang outs she had done that through and arcade where there was a DDR game she wanted to show. His world went black and Yami stood in his place.

"Then let us duel to decide who is telling the truth," Yami stated, "we'll meet in the classroom in fifteen minutes."

"Heh, I accept your challenge, Yugi," Seto stated.

Yank nodded at that and motioned towards Winter to follow him. She followed after and they made their way to the classroom. It was quiet and he looked back to see her staring out the windows. He almost wished he could ask his host about what he could do in a situation like this one. Feelings weren't a game to him, he didn't want to hurt her. The two of them placed two desks together and he caught her looking at her hands. The dark red color had faded into a dark pink and her hands looked relatively normal, relatively they were still covered in slightly bumpy scars. He walked over and grasped her hand.

"He's wrong," Yami stated, "you know that."

"I do," Winter admitted, "I'd forgotten what they'd look like until he pointed them out. I never put thought into it anymore. Just kick his ass for me, okay?"

Yami blinked at her as she grinned at him. There was a little bit of sadness in her eyes before she quickly crushed down on it. He had a feeling that wasn't a healthy way of dealing with it. Who was he to say anything about mental health. He was just a spirit trapped in a puzzle. Seto walked into the room and Winter grabbed the chair from her desk before sitting down in it to watch, she ended up sitting right next to the spirit. The two boys sat down and tried each other with equal looks of dislike and arrogance.

"The rules to this duel shall be a little different, you'll understand as soon as you see it," Yami stated, "each player starts with two thousand life points and forty cards."

"Then I'll take my turn," Seto stated, he drew his first card and then played it on desk, "I summon gargoyle in attack mode."

"Old cards," Winter muttered to herself.

Of course he wasn't privy to information about the new series that Pegasus was cooking up. She was only allowed to know because she helped design some of the cards. Apparently he was hoping to get the new series out in a month or so. He hadn't predicted how long the process would be, though he did enjoy most of her monster designs.

"The cards picture materialized!" Seto exclaimed in shock.

Winter looked at the monster in surprise and it turned its head to meet her eyes. She fought the instinct to back up from it. Yami smirked at the two's reactions to a real monster before watching Winter think about something.

"I told you that this duel was going to be different," Yami stated, "I use Dark Dragon to attack your gargoyle with 'fire breath'."

The black scaled dragon opened it jaws and with a mighty roar a jet of fire came from out of its mouth. Winter flinched from the heat of the flames and Yami discreetly brought a hand back to rest on hers. She tensed before putting her hand upright and giving his a small squeeze. He gently released her hand and watched as Seto saw his card smoke before disappearing.

"My card…" Seto stated.

"Only the illusion is gone, in this game if you lose you'll face a penalty," Yami informed him, "for those are the rules of a shadow game."

"A shadow game?" Seto questioned.

"Now your life points drop from two thousand to fifteen hundred," Yami stated, ignoring the question, "the defeated will experience a penalty game that is similar to death."

"Similar to death?!" Seto and Winter asked in unison, hers being more worried than his shock.

Yami gave her a small smirk and she gave him a concerned look. She didn't like it when he gambled with his life, she did it because she doesn't care about herself anymore. Sometimes she wondered if Jounouchi knew that she didn't. The upset looks he gave her when she came to school sick as can be was enough to tell her that he did know about her problem. Seto's laughing brought her out of her dark thoughts.

"This could be the ultimate duel to the death," Seto commented.

"It's your turn," Yami stated.

"Okay," Seto nodded, he drew his card and played it on the desk, "I play the rare card Minotaurus!"

Winter winced at that. It was a good card. Minotaurus had a higher attack and defense point than the Dark Dragon. That card was going to be massacred by the large monster that leered down at the Dragon.

"Minotaurus, tear the Dark Dragon limb from limb," Seto ordered.

The Dark Dragon attempted to defend itself but Minotaurus quickly overpowered it. Yami and Winter watched in horror as the head feel to the desk top. It was gruesome even as the dragon faded. The smoke from his card made the spirit slightly angry. He seemed to have made a silent promise to Winter to win. He was planning on keeping it.

"The difference between points was two hundred, now draw your next card I doubt it'll be strong enough to defeat Minotaurus," Seto taunted.

Yami didn't rise to the bait and drew his next card. He played the mystic elf in defense mode. Her two thousand defense points would keep him safe for a while. Seto switched Minotaurus as well and drew his card before placing it face down. Yami's eyes narrowed. Winter wondered if it was a trap card or spell card. No card was played by Yami that turn. Seto smirked and Winter felt the need to punch him.

"I play my magic card, Giant Transformation," Seto stated, "it increased the attack and defense points of Minotaurus by twenty percent."

"Shit," Winter cursed in English.

That brought Minotaurus to two thousand and forty attack points. Seto laughed once again. Yami could barely keep his surprise and unease off his face as he looked towards the towering monster. It was over for his mystic elf.

"Now finish off his pathetic elf," Seto commanded his monster.

That started a spiral of monster deaths for Yami. Winter slowly grew more and more concerned for the spirit. If he lost then both he and Yugi will be punished. She gently placed a hand on his thigh and he jumped a little at the sudden contact. He looked towards her and she gave him a slightly strained smile before giving him a thumb up. His eyes glinted slightly at that before he turned to face a cackling Seto. Yami drew his next card and smirked at the monster he was going to summon.

"Summon Skull," He stated, "the strongest card in my deck and the best gift from a good friend."

Winter blushed at that and gave him a small smile. She didn't know he knew that she had given the card to Yugi as a birthday gift. The shorter teen even had the original sketch in a frame hanging up in his room. It was one of his favorite gifts.

"Summon Skull attack the Minotaurus!" Yami commanded.

The giant demonic skeleton let out a shrill roar and sent electric beams towards the large monster. Seto grimaced as he began to panic. He then gave a nervous smile as he leaned forward.

"Up until this point I wasn't afraid for my life," Seto stated, Yami frowned at this words and Winter eyed him skeptically, "and with this trump card I still don't. I summon the blue eyes white dragon to the field in attack mode."

"Kaiba you fucking cheat," Winter angrily hissed.

Yami found himself agreeing with her as he glared at the brunette teen in front of him. The dragon seemed to look past him and at the teen right next to him. It tilted its head before letting out a small purr. Hazel eyes blinked before softening at the creature.

"My next attack will win me the duel! Blue eyes attack!" Seto stated.

The dragon moved forward but all eyes widened when it nuzzled into Winters face before puffing into smoke. Her eyes were wide as Seto began to get angry. Yami looked towards the bewildered teen next to him and noted the sudden sadness that crossed her features before a frown appeared. She looked confused before looking towards the still smoking card.

"It's my turn," Yami stated, "I'll use the magic card that I placed on my last turn."

"When did you place that?" Seto asked.

"I play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to ring back the Blue Eyes White Dragon," Yami stated.

The dragon appeared and let out a magnificent roar as it shook its body and glared down at Seto. The dragon looked pissed and Winter couldn't help but smile in an amused fashion at it. It was very familiar to her, but she couldn't figure out why.

"I attack your life points directly!" Yami stated.

Seto let out a startled yell as the blue eyes finished off his life points.

"And now your penalty game," Yami stated.

A card appeared on the table as Seto gained a blank look and slumped in his seat. Winter got up and picked up the card. She blinked in surprise as Seto's face stared up at her from the cards illustration. She looked towards Yami as he recollected Grandpas blue eyes. She placed the card into Seto's uniform pocket and grabbed her school bag.

"How long will he be like this?" She asked.

"Only for tonight," Yami replied.

She hummed in response and was surprised when he grabbed her hand and lead her from the classroom. She easily kept up the pace with him and decided to not question his need to lead her around. She positioned her hand so it'd be far more comfortable for the two of them. The spirit didn't say anything as they stopped to change their shoes before leaving. He watched as Winter looked up towards the sky and squinted.

"It's going to rain soon," Winter quietly stated.

"How can you tell?" Yami asked, he watched a bus pass them with a slightly amazed expression.

"I can't really explain it, my brother and Kaa-San were the same way," Winter stated in a sheepish tone. "I guess we're a strange bunch."

"Not really," Yami stated, he smiled slightly when she became a light pink, "no one should think that about themselves, Hime."

She turned a darker shade of pink at the use of her nicknames as they came across the parking garage that she had parked in that morning. He looked at the vehicle and recalled the way his hosts heart had raced as she drove. His host hadn't been scared, but exhilarated. He felt a slight pang if annoyance at how his host had gotten flustered by holding onto the taller teen. She brought out the helmets and handed one to him. He pulled it on as she got onto the motorcycle. He pulled on the helmet and cautiously climbed on behind her. She revived the engine and they took off with ease. His arms found their way around her midsection as she headed onto the freeway. He could feel her heart beat through her body as she drove.

He could see why his host had enjoyed the ride. Winter was oddly muscular and he hadn't expected that. He looked to his left and focused on the passing city in a way to ignore those thoughts. His eyes widened at the sight of an ice cream parlor. He had gained a slight craving for such things from his hosts love of junk food. Winter quietly cursed when a sign warned her that the exit she needed was closed due to maintenance. She pulled off at the first exit she was able to see and drove through the small shopping area.

"What's wrong?" Yami asked.

"The exit I need is closed for an hour or so, so we'll be waiting for a while," She responded, "anything you want to look at?"

Yami blinked at that. She wanted to know if there was something _he_ wanted to do. He felt a small smile slip onto his face before nodding. She pulled over at a small parking lot and the two removed their helmets. His caught sight of her hair plastered to her face. She smiled at him and he found himself smiling back. They headed into the shopping area and he looked around in slight amazement. Everything seemed different to him. It never bothered him before now.

"How long did my host have the puzzle?" Yami asked.

"Eight years, but it's been around for three thousand years," Winter answered, "Have you been trapped in there the entire time?"

He gave her a shrug and she sighed in response to that. She felt a little bad for him, but she knew that he wouldn't appreciate any form of pity. She stopped outside of a store and tilted her head in thought at the DND figurines they had inside. It was a game store of sorts, it just wasn't as welcoming as the Kame Game shop.

"Want to go in?" Yami questioned.

"Maybe, I haven't played DND for a while," Winter stated.

"DND?" Yami asked.

"Dungeons and Dragons, it's a table top role play game," Winter answered, "I have some rule books but they're all in English."

Yami tilted his head at that and headed into the store. Winter followed after him and they were greeted by the teen behind the counter. Yami began to look at a rule book but then noticed that Winter had paused in front of the figurines before picking up the one that had caught her eye. It was a humanoid figure with deer like horns, but the scaled flesh threw him for a loop.

"I played as a Dragonborn bard," She admitted with a slight blush.

"Interesting combination," Yami chuckled.

"I guess you power read the rule book?" She smiled.

He smirked and she headed up to the counter to pay for her statue. He watched and his eyes slowly began to narrow at how the teen behind the counter flirted with her. It shouldn't annoy him as much as it did. Winter had taken the flirting with ease but looked slightly uncomfortable as she headed back yo him. He stared at the teen and grabbed her hand before exiting the store. Her hand twitched slightly before she moved it so the strain on her wrist wasn't too bad. The two did get a few smiles from passing elderly couples. He may have been as short as his host, but he had yet to be called a child. It was something that caused him some relief.

"Want something to eat?" Winter asked.

"Such as?" Yami asked.

"We could get anything, I hear the ice cream shop is good," Winter stated.

He tilted his head and he tried not to let his confusion show. She smiled at him before taking the lead. He allowed himself to be dragged into the café and he looked around the pastel colored interior. One of the waitresses smiled at them and gave Yami a look of understanding as they were shown to a booth. Winter got a strawberry sundae and he got a vanilla scoop. He didn't know too much about ice cream to be experimental with his food.

They sat there and waited. He studied the people in the restaurant and noticed the pairs of boys and girls. Some of them were chatting happily and eating from the same dessert, others were sitting there holding hands. His eyes traveled towards Winter and he noticed that she was watching the street with a thoughtful expression on her face. He went to say something when the waitress came back with their orders. She chuckled quietly and left to go back to gossiping with her co-workers.

"That's a lot of food," Yami commented upon looking at the sundae.

"It's…it's definitely bigger than I thought it'd be," Winter agreed as she took off one of the strawberries and bit into it.

Yami blinked and ate some of his ice cream. It was overly sweet for the first few seconds before he got used to the cold treat. He quickly finished it off and he heard a quiet chuckle. He looked towards Winter and noticed the slightly amused expression on her face. She still had plenty of ice cream on her side and he took a spoonful and plopped it into his mouth. She started to chuckle and that covered up the squeals from the waitresses. Apparently they found the two to be adorably mismatched.

They finished off the ice cream and Yami let out a quiet sigh of contentment. It was moments such as these that brought a bit of light back into his life. Jounouchi and Winter treated him as a friend, though he wasn't sure why it bothered him to be friends with her it shouldn't but it did. He watched as Winter paid for their treat before they headed black to her motorcycle.

The ride to his hosts home was quiet as he watched the cars pass the two of them by. She parked outside of the Game shop and he hopped down from the vehicle. He turned and gave Winter a smirk before changing with his host. Yugi blinked in confusion as he looked up at Winter.

"Congrats on getting your Jiji's card back," Winter grinned at him, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I think I'm okay…" Yugi muttered.

He noticed the worry on her face and quickly plastered a grin on his face before the two entered the Game shop. Grandpa greeted the two as he placed a few small electronics into a basket with a sign on it. Yugi and Winter peered into it in slight confusion.

"Digital pets?" Yugi asked.

"Yes, they've been getting rather popular lately," Grandpa informed the two, "here, you two deserve this with your heavy studying."

Grandpa placed a digital pet in the twos hands. Yugi got a purple one while Winter had been given a pink one. She blushed slightly and the two gave him a big hug. He grinned as the two began to chat excitedly about the digital pets. They were just glad that Chono had laid off the student body. People were happily decorating their bags with mascots and enjoying books from home during break.

"Shoot, I've got to get home," Winter stated after seeing the clock, "I'll see you tomorrow Yugi!"

She gave the shorter teen a hug and gave a wave to Grandpa before heading out the Game shop. The old man chuckled quietly at the happy expression on his grandsons face. The teen turned to the digital pet and turned on the device. He soon fell into a silence as he took care of the digital pet.

Winter had headed home and was relaxing on the couch after finishing her homework. Jounouchi was walking down stairs when he noticed the teen. He snickered at the pink device in her hand he knew of her slight dislike of the color pink. Which he considered weird since she adored strawberry milk, and that was one of the pinkest things he'd seen in a while. Jounouchi pulled out his red device before jumping onto the couch next to her.

"Hey," She greeted, she automatically used his shoulder as a pillow, "Whats been going on around the house?"

"Sachiko keeps shooing us out of the kitchen," Jounouchi admitted, "She said she's making a special dinner."

"Oh yeah, family night!" Winter exclaimed, "Might want to put your digital pet in sleep mode, auntie will have your head if she sees you on it."

"What's she making?" Jounouchi asked.

"Burgers, sadly we don't have the burger extraordinaire joining us tonight," Winter quietly joked.

"Yugi would go crazy with Sachiko's cooking," Jounouchi agreed.

He looked over Winters shoulder at her digital pet and chuckled at the adorable monster. It was a strawberry shape with a witches hat and two circles under large eyes that gave it a very familiar look. It reminded him of her drawings of the dark Magician Girl.

"You name your pet yet? Mines called Joe," Jounouchi stated, showing her the pepper shaped digital pet.

"Mana, her names Mana," Winter stated, she almost sounded distracted.

He blinked at the name before tilting his head. He liked the name, he just wondered why she looked a little confused. She shook her head and smiled slightly before feeding the digital pet. They sat on that couch until Sachiko sent Akira to find them. He chuckled in amusement at the two kids playing games while leaning on the other.

"You two can be such sloths," Akira chuckled.

"I can live that," Winter admitted, "Sloths are cute."

Akira watched as they headed into the kitchen after switching off the devices. Winter and Sachiko were already arguing slightly, it seems that the older woman didn't find the humor in the shirt with a cartoon dragon on it. Winter won the argument and Jounouchi snorted at that as Sachiko pulled an Anzu and drowned the girls hamburger in ketchup. They both watched as Winter brought the ketchup soaked burger to her mouth and stared Sachiko straight in the eyes as she bit into it without any expressions on her face.

"Why are you like this?" Sachiko groaned as Jounouchi wished for a camera as Winter took another bite.

"You did challenge her," Akira pointed out.

"Not helping Tou-san," Sachiko growled, "She's just like her father sometimes. She doesn't take life seriously."

That caused all conversation to stop and Jounouchi inwardly winced as Winter gained an expressionless face. Her eyes had filled slightly, but he could see the pain reflected in them. Akira sighed as she got up from the table and headed up to her room. Sachiko stared down at the table in horror at what she had done, she hadn't meant to say that.

"Katsuya, please go up there and check on her," Akira stated.

Jounouchi nodded and headed upstairs to talk to the taller teen. He'd try to cheer her up like he would his little sister. That always seems to work when she's a little upset. He opened the door and noted that Winter was nowhere to be seen. He headed back down stairs and the two adults looked up at him.

"She's not in her room," He stated.

"This is all my fault," Sachiko stated, "I'll go look for her."

Before anyone could stop her Sachiko headed out the front door and began to search around the cemetery grounds. She had a feeling she knew where the teen had gone. She felt something wet hit her face and she looked up. She remembered Winter muttering about rain earlier in the morning, her sister was exactly the same. It began to pour and she quietly swore as she picked up the pace.

"Hey, Haruka," She heads a soft voice say, "I hope you're happy up there. I miss you baby brother, both you and momma."

Sachiko flinched at that. Winter hadn't called her mother that unless she was really upset. She walked up to the teen and looked down at the graves before her. There was newly lit incense that were slowly smoldering out due to the rain.

"Winter, I'm sorry," Sachiko stated.

"I know," Winter shrugged, "And I don't care. I'm an adult after all, I can take an insult."

Sachiko didn't like the blank look in her nieces eyes as the girl headed back inside, her raven locks plastered to her face. She gave a heavy sigh and ran a hand through her soaked hair. That face was similar to the one she had made in her first visit to the hospital. She could remember the teen staring out a window with dead, dull eyes. She headed back inside as well and could feel the somber air.

"Winter decided to sleep," Jounouchi quietly mumbled, "I'm going to go to my room."

She nodded at that and watched the blonde walk up the stairs. There was a sigh that came from her as she sat at the dining room table. She had taken out her stress at her niece. Her eyes flickered to her father and noted the thoughtful look on his face.

"She'll be fine," He stated, "Winter has good friends who'll have her back and cheer her up."

"I know, but I shouldn't have likened her to her father," Sachiko muttered, "She's nothing like that man."

"No she's not," Akira agreed, "She's the free spirit that her mother was. I believe we have Yugi to thank for that."

Sachiko gave a curt nod at that and got up so she could clean up the dishes from dinner. She knew that there was a possibility that everything would be better in the morning, but she wasn't counting on it. Akira had headed to bed and she sighed as she headed up the stairs. She opened the door to Winters room and noted that the teen was drawing another monster on a large piece of paper. This one was dressed in gold armor. She couldn't help but think that the monster was rather life life, for an artwork. She closed the door and headed to her own room.

The next morning she watched as Jounouchi and Winter finished last minute homework before bringing out the digital pets and playing with those. It was quiet before and after the two headed to school for the day. Jounouchi looked towards Winter as they rode the bus with Yugi. She seemed to be distracted by what had happened the day before. Yugi took not and gently smiled up at the taller teen. She blinked in slight surprise before smiling back. She couldn't take out what had happened yesterday on her best friend. They got off the bus and headed inside.

Yugi notes that classes seemed to be dragging on the entire time until break. The group of friends all came into a circle of desks and they were all, except for Honda, playing with Digital pets. There were smiles all around and everyone's moods seemed to be uplifted as they talked about the pets.

"Ah, Yugi," Winter started, "Do you want to do a data exchange with me?"

"Sure!" Yugi grinned.

The group watched as Winter and Yugi connected the two devices. The two pets seemed to be a little shy about leaving their screens before Mana made the first move. The strawberry witch bounded into Yuu2's screen and gave the pet a hug. Yugi's pet blushed deeply as the taller pet gave him a nuzzle to the cheek. Yugi and Winter slowly grew pink as Mana let the pet go and got a peck to the cheek in response.

"That was the sweetest thing," Anzu teased as the two disconnected the devices.

"Anzu," Winter stated, if the brunette didn't know any better she'd think that was a whine.

"Now why don't we do a data exchange?" Jounouchi questioned.

Hugo smiled at him and they connected the devices. There was outrage as Joe started to beat up Yuu2. Jounouchi withered under the glares he was getting from Anzu and Winter. Yugi chuckled nervously as the two pets began to get along before they went their separate ways. He sighed in happiness as he thought about the traits that Yuu2 would get from the other two pets, Mana's kindness and hopefully Joes guts. He'd hope that his pet didn't become two wild from the two free spirits that were his friends. He blinked in surprise as he watched the pet jump up in fear before trembling in the corner of the screen.

"Kujirada, What is it that you want?" Winter questioned the larger teen.

"I wanted to see if you guys wanted to see my pet," Kujirada stated, "It's a hidden character and superior to yours."

"Hidden character?" The group of friends asked in unison.

"There's a one in ten thousand chance to get one of these characters," Kujirada stated, "These characters have very defined personalities. I have one of these pets, see for yourselves."

He turned his golden device to show the group and they were welcomed with the sight of a very mean spirited pet. It looked like a round demon with a black star on its stomach. The key around Winters neck warmed up and she began to get a sinking feeling. She almost wished she had brought her dark Magician with her, but the incident with Kaiba stopped her in her tracks. She didn't want to lose him.

"Prove that it's a hidden character," Jounouchi challenged.

"The star on its stomach," Kujirada pointed out, "Unlike your pets, who die after twenty days, mine will live for two months. It is the ultimate pet!"

"Ah," Winter quietly stated.

Yugi looked towards her and noted the sadness on her face. He knew that she would miss the little digital pet and he battled with himself before gently grasping her empty right hand. She jumped in surprise before looking at him. He gave her a soft smile and she softly smiled back. He released her hand and he felt a slight sadness flash through him before disappearing. He missed his puzzle glowing in unison with the feeling that went through him.

"Everyone's pet is special to them Kujirada-kun," Anzu pointed out.

Yuu2 let out a beep and Yugi looked down at him in surprise. It almost seemed like the pet agreed with Anzu. Kujirada grumbled to himself as he walked to his desk.

"We should go grab lunch," Winter told Jounouchi.

"Right," Jounouchi nodded, "We'll be back."

"I'll go with ya," Honda stated.

"I forgot my lunch as well," Anzu chuckled sheepishly.

Yugi just quietly followed as Jounouchi grabbed his wallet from his school bag. The pet was placed in the bag and the group exited the classroom and headed to the cafeteria. While they were there they all got lunch. Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda got bentos while Yugi and Winter got curry buns. They went back to the classroom and ate their lunch. Winter was feeding her pet when Jounouchi let out a yell.

"What's wrong?" Anzu asked, looking up from her pet which she had named Sumomo.

"The screens blank! Joes gone!" Jounouchi stated, "I guess this is what I get for leaving it in my bag."

He gave Winter a grateful smile when she gave his shoulder a pat. All eyes widened when her pet was suddenly taken from her hand. They could hear the loud and quick beeping of Mana.

"Hey! What's the deal Kujirada?" Winter growled as the boy connected the two devices.

"He ate it all," Kujirada stated, he disconnected the devices and tossed the pink one back to her.

"M-Mana," Winter softly murmured as she picked up the empty device.

"Sumomo!" Anzu shouted as she too suffered the same fate as Winter.

Yugi jumped as his pet was taken out of his hand as well. He was allowed to watch as his pet ran away from the hidden character. He was quietly rooting for Yuu2 as the pet easily outran the other. A sudden beeping came from Yuu2 as the pet was captured. It was about to be eaten when the data from Mana and Joe came through for Yuu2. The pet grew bigger and it sprouted hands from its eyebrows. It swung one of the fists and the hidden character was forced to back up. Yuu2 easily destroyed the hidden character and the group cheered as Kujirada gave a quiet sigh of relief. He'd finally be able to sleep.

Winter looked towards her key and frowned, ever since she moved to Domino City everything had gotten weirder. Her eyes traveled to the puzzle around Yugi's neck and a soft smile appeared on her face. It wasn't all that bad, she quietly mused, after all she had gotten to make friends. She had even gotten to met a three thousand year old spirit who was both insane and sweet at the same time. It didn't matter to her that much they all brought a glimmer of happiness to her life.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm getting closer to Death T, I'm excited since that'll mean a really long chapter for you guys! Thank you for all the support so far! I really appreciate it.**

* * *

Chapter 6: _Capsules, Fake Bruce Lee's, and Food Roulette Oh My!_

* * *

Winter sighed as she and Yugi walked down a small shopping area. Jounouchi and Honda were hanging out that afternoon and Anzu had dance lessons. She almost felt a little like they had purposely done such things as a way to get the two alone. Yugi scratched his cheek slightly, he couldn't know that she had the exact thoughts that he did. He felt as though someone else's emotions were tampering with his, perhaps it was the 'other him' that Shadi had been speaking about. He looked towards the taller teen and noticed that she was looking at a group of kids in confusion.

"Ah, they must like Capsule Monsters," Yugi stated.

"Capsule…Monsters? Is it played like chess?" Winter questioned.

"Almost, the only difference is the attack ranges and abilities the different monsters have, you only get five monsters to play with," Yugi explained.

"Sounds interesting," Winter smiled.

Yugi has noticed the sadness that had crawled back into her eyes a while ago. Jounouchi had informed him of the strife that had happened between her and Sachiko. The blonde had even brought up his own concerns with how willing she was to get hurt.

"So it comes from a Gashapon?" Winter asked, bringing him away from darker thoughts.

"Yeah, want to try and win a cool monster?" Yugi asked.

She blinked in surprise before gaining a childlike innocence in her eyes. A slight blush appeared on her face.

"It sounds really fun," Winter quietly stated.

That affirmed it for him. Yugi grabbed onto her hand and lead her to the line. She stood there with a blush on her face as the children around her all stared up at her. They all looked at her like she was a giant. Yugi chuckled quietly, she was a giant. A gentle giant. Who just had a hundred yen eaten by the gashapon machine.

"That's about right," Winter muttered with a slightly amused expression on her face.

"It's Kaiba-Sama," a kid quietly gasped.

Winter and Yugi spun to see who they were talking about. Hazel eyes widened at the sight of a black haired child with blue eyes. She made a face at the nasty smirk on the child's face. Yugi unconsciously stepped in front of her as she eyed the kid with slight dislike.

"You're Yugi-Kun? Right?" The kid asked, he then turned blue eyes towards her, "And you're Winter-Chan."

He was actually smiling a pleasant smile to her. Winter studied him for a few seconds before her eyes widened as it hit her who he reminded her of. She couldn't be wrong about it. She took a deep breath before steeling her nerves.

"Are you Seto's brother?" She asked.

"How clever," the kid stated, "I'm Kaiba Mokuba."

"Mokimon, got it," Winter muttered, the nickname slipped out on accident and the corners of Yugi's mouth twitch upwards.

"I can't believe that my brother was defeated by a midget like you," Mokuba stated as he stared at Yugi, "You know about Capsule monster right, Yugi?"

"Not that much, I just started," Yugi chuckled.

"How modest," Mokuba stated, "Get them!"

The group of kids suddenly pulled out police batons and tasers. Winter yelled as a taser hit her leg. She moved closer to Yugi and glared at the group of kids. She didn't want to start a fight with such brats, it wasn't really in her nature to hurt a kid. Mokuba grabbed the gashapon machine and tossed money at the elderly store owner before leading the group of kids away. Yugi stared up at his tall friend and watched her rub a red spot on her leg. He felt angry that his friend had been hurt. She seemed to notice his anger and gave him a small smile. The two were taken to an abandoned factory.

Yugi sat in a chair across a crate from Mokuba while Winter was sitting on the ground surrounded by kids with tasers. Her eyes were serious as she looked around the factory. There were rusty nails all over the ground and crates littered the area. She met Yugi's eyes and he gave her an apologetic smile that she waved off with ease. It wasn't his fault that the Kaiba Brother's were deranged.

"We're going to play capsule monsters together," Mokuba chirped.

"Please go easy on me," Yugi softly stated, he wasn't too good at this game.

"For a high schooler this guy sure is wimpy," A kid sneered, "How'd a girl like that ever end up with him?"

Winter tilted her head in confusion before her cheeks slowly started to turn a dark red. Yugi slowly joined her before realizing a second feeling was within him. Sadness. He didn't know why he could be sad at a time like this. He took a deep breath and started to get irritated as the kids poked him and continued their spiel of insulting him. When one grabbed his puzzle he snapped.

"Get your grubby hands off the puzzle," Yami barked, "Damn brats!"

Yami studied the area and bristled upon finding the extent to the predicament that his host had found himself in. His crimson eyes locked with slightly nervous hazel and he sent her a minuscule smile. At least he had someone on his side. His eyes narrowed at the kids surrounding her with tasers. No wonder she looked nervous, he mused to himself. He almost wished that he had come out on better circumstances.

"Hey boss, he changed," one of the kids muttered.

"Indeed," Mokuba smirked.

"Instead of sitting around and doing nothing," Yami started, "Why don't we play the game? I have far better things to do right now."

"Set up the planet Ganastar," Mokuba ordered the kids around him, "I'd rather listen to other things than your plans with your girlfriend."

Winter buried her face in her hands as Yami contemplated the title. It was one that his host thought about sometimes. It was a form of courting that he found rather interesting. His crimson eyes flickered towards the red faced teen and he smiled softly at that labeling. He could see that becoming a possibility. He slowly began to wonder if he was spending far too much time in the puzzle thinking. He most likely did.

"This is my favorite field, so we'll be playing on it," Mokuba stated.

"The playing field doesn't matter, just set up the game," Yami growled.

"That's the reason why I prepares the capsule machine, it wouldn't be fair if I used my personal collection," Mokuba stated, a sly smirk slowly forming on his face, "We'll take turns getting out Capsules, you'll go first."

"Yami," Winter softly muttered as her eyebrows knitted together in a frown.

He seemed to have heard her and turned to quickly glance back. He seemed shocked at the smile on her face that slowly grew into a grin. His eyes glinted in slight madness and it almost made her grin fall. She couldn't help but wonder if he was progressing backwards. She shook that thought from her mind.

"Kick his ass," She told him.

Yami blinked at that before nodding. He turned to see the level of his monster and growled slightly. It was a level one. Mokuba took his turn and got a level five. They continued until he had three level ones, a level two and a level four. Mokuba has two level fours and three level fives. Winter began to wonder if this game was unfairly set up.

"Yugi," Mokuba started, "This game will be boring if we aren't risking anything. How's this, if you lose then I get to cut off one of your fingers in front of your girlfriend."

"And if I win you'll face a penalty game," Yami smirked.

The two set up the board and they opened the capsules. Mokuba's level fours were Cobra'd and Doklah, and his level fives were Red Zaccah, Ganpo, and Dinosuar Wing. Yami had gotten an interesting cast of monsters. His level ones were Devil castle, Flowerman, and Eye mouth, his level two was Trigan, and his level four was Great Paa.

"Let's go!" Mokuba shouted, he moved his Ganpo forward.

"Oh, I should inform you that this is a shadow game," Yami stated in a calm voice as Eye mouth was moved in front of Ganpo.

"Putting such a weak monster in front of me?" Mokuba asked, "What kind of idiot are you?"

Yami didn't let his annoyance show on his face as Eye Mouth was cut in half by Ganpo. Mokuba started to cackle and the group of kids that surrounded Winter we're surprised when they saw that she had gotten closer when they had been distracted. She sent them a small wink from her spot on a crate next to the game. Yami let out a chuckle.

"What are you laughing about?" Mokuba growled.

"I'm teaching you a few lessons in gaming," Yami stated, truthfully it was the antics of the taller teen, "When one player has a disadvantage the other will show a weakness. That is the first lesson."

"How dare you presume to coach me!" Mokuba yelled at Yami.

"Lesson two," Yami stated, picking up his next piece, "Never lose your temper. I'll put this monster forward."

Great Paa proudly stood from its position on the field. Mokuba move Cobra'd in front of Great Paa. The two monsters attacked each other but the attacks canceled each other out and destroyed both monsters. The next monster to go was Flowerman. Then Devil Castle. Winters lips parted with a quiet gasp when she noted the way Mokuba's monsters were lined up in a diagonal line. The small boy grinned in victory.

"You only have one monster left while I have four! I believe I've won!" Mokuba shouted.

Yami let out a deep chuckle. Winter looked towards him and her cheeks tinted a light pink. She rather liked his laugh. Crimson eyes grew darker in a twisted mirth.

"Why are you laughing?!" Mokuba demanded.

"It's a laugh of victory," Yami stated, "Have you not noticed the way your monsters are lined up?"

"Oh no!" Mokuba squeaked upon noticing, "And you have Trigan!"

The bird let out a cry and all of Mokuba's monsters lost their heads. The game ended and Yami let out a dark smirk. Winter backed up at the sight of it and Mokuba followed suit. Both of their eyes were wide at the darkness that flowed from the ancient spirit.

"Lesson number three," Yami smirked, "Save your trump card for the end. Now it's time for a penalty game!"

A capsule top appeared above Mokuba and the kid yelled in surprise as Yami walked over to Winter and leaned against the crate she sat upon. The child let out another cackle and Winter jumped in surprise. Blue eyes filled with malice turned towards the two and Yami moved his arm to stop Winter from falling off the crate.

"My brother is starting his revenge, a secret Death T!" Mokuba states before the capsule closed on him.

"I'm sorry but you are not my enemy, think about that for a while," Yami replied, "Here, Hime."

Winter was surprised when the spirit helped her down from the crate and grabbed the school bags. He kept a hold on her hand the entire time. He sighed as they returned to a more populated area. He felt her hand twitch when he came to a stop outside a florist.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

Yami turned and caught sight of his reflection in the window. He felt as though he looked…wrong. He knew that he would look like his host, but for some reason it bothered him a bit. Winter tilted her head slightly and sighed quietly.

"Yami?" Her voice caused him to jump slightly.

"I'm fine," He stated.

He began to walk and she followed next to him. She didn't know what to say to make him feel better so she elected to stay quiet. He turned into a park and sat down at a table under a tree. Winter closed her eyes and enjoyed the early spring breeze. She was glad that her name sake was starting to end.

"You don't seem to like the cold," Yami commented.

"I don't mind it, but I love cool spring days like this," Winter stated, "Jiji likes to joke that I have the wrong name."

Her sheepish laugh caused his mind to relax. There was a question at the forefront of his mind. He contemplated asking it as she began to watch the cherry blossoms fly through the air. One of the pink blossoms got stuck in her chin length hair and she gently removed it.

"What exactly is a Girlfriend?" He asked.

"A girl who is a romantic interest that you are courting," Winter replied, "For a girl we call the opposite sex a Boyfriend."

"Have you ever had one?" Yami innocently asked.

She paused for a few seconds before gaining a somewhat strange expression on her face. She looked both sad and amused at the same time. She scratched her cheek slightly before a light pink dusted her cheeks.

"No I haven't," she quietly admitted, "I've never been on a date either."

"Date?" Yami questioned, "Like an outing during courtship?"

Winter gave him a nod and he smirked at how red her face was. She was rather easy to embarrass. He questioned where his ease came from, usually he was at a loss when it came to things like this. He was always prepared for a game, but he had trouble talking to others. He looked towards an elderly couple that passed them by and the two chuckled quietly. The old woman smiled at the two and Winter went back to being a tomato.

The couple moved on and Yami chuckled at the taller teen. She had buried her face in her hands, and it was rather adorable for someone who towered over everyone else. Yami gently grasped her wrist and moved her hands down. Her face was a bright red and her eyes had a strange glint to them. He wondered if she was going to cry as she attempted to look somewhere else. She's never been this close to a person like this.

"It's getting dark," Yami muttered, he looked up towards the reddening sky.

"So it is," Winter agreed.

She checked her watch and sighed at the time. She needed to get Yugi home and needed to head home herself. A hand in her peripheral caused her to jump slightly. Yami stood there with an amused smirk and Winter flushed before accepting his hand. He helped her up from the bench and began to lead the way. He went to a bus station and the way her fave lit up in surprise caused a smirk to appear on his face.

"You figures out the transit system?" Winter asked, "That's pretty impressive."

"My host, he's memorized the schedule," Yami replied.

The bus came and the two got on. Yami stood on the bus and watched as the town passed by with ease. His hosts stop was after Winters. The bus came to a stop and he watched as the taller teen stretched before smiling at him. His eyes widened slightly when she pecked his cheek before getting of the bus. His cheeks felt warm as he watched her walk up the stairs that lead to her home.

"Aww," an elderly woman cooed at him.

Her husband shook his head in amusement as Yami placed a hand on his cheek. He turned and switched places with his host. Yugi blinked his eyes as he stared out the bus window. It happened again. He looked towards the puzzle around his neck and placed a hand on it. He was getting slightly scared of the idea of another him. His eyebrows knitted together. Another him? That didn't sound right, if there had been another him he would've known long before this. He tilted his head as his stop came up and he got off the bus. A sudden thought hit him, what if the puzzle had a spirit attached to it. That made sense to him. He then thought about the secondary emotions he felt when something bad happened, either to himself or to Winter. He wondered if that's what bothered her sometimes. He could see how that would be difficult to bring up in a conversation. He wondered if he could speak to the spirit. He entered the Game shop and happily greeted his Grandfather.

His night was filled with questions as he stared at the puzzle. He could almost hear static if he stared long enough. His night was easier than Winters. She found herself plagued with nightmares of a darkness she could put a name to. It felt familiar to her, even as she watched it destroy a village before her. She had reached out only to find herself on the floor of her room.

That day Jounouchi noticed that his two best friends looked tired. He watched as they actually took notes on what was being taught. As break rolled around he got confused when both of them let out soft sighs. Yugi had placed a hand on his puzzle and Winter ran a hand through her shaggy hair.

"Winter, can I talk to you for a few seconds?" Yugi softly asked.

She gave him a curt nod and followed after him. Jounouchi looked after the two before smirking towards Honda. Even though his money was on the spirit of the puzzle, something Honda had been given knowledge about as well, and Honda had joined in on that. They couldn't help but wonder what was going on at the moment.

"What's wrong Yugi?" Winter asked.

"The other me, that Shadi talked about," He started, "Did you know about him?"

"Yes, He asked that we not tell you," Winter admitted, "He's done some pretty bad things as a way of helping others. He does care about you, that much I know."

"He cares about you too," Yugi found himself pointing out, "But what if I can't stop him from hurting others?"

"I don't know," Winter admitted, "You two need to be able to communicate and I feel as though he's blocking communication on his side."

"Tell him I want to speak with him," Yugi stated, "If he's ignoring me then next time he takes over tell him that I want to speak to him."

Winter looked at him in surprise before giving him a nod of understanding. Yugi let out a huff of breath at that before smiling. At least she was truthful with him. He headed back to class with her.

"I'm sorry that we kept this from you Yugi," Winter admitted.

Yugi gave her a nod at that and entered the classroom. Winter stayed outside the door with a slightly upset expression on her face. She knew he'd be upset when he figured out what was going on, but she didn't really prepare herself for it. She turned from the classroom and headed up to the roof. She needed a break from the drama of her life.

"Where'd Winter go?" Jounouchi asked Yugi.

"She was right behind me," Yugi quietly replied, he too looked confused as to where she went.

"Relax, maybe she went to the restroom," Honda supplied.

Yugi nodded at that and began to wonder if she was upset at something. Jounouchi gave a sigh, she had a bad habit of not speaking her mind. He was worrying about his sister in all but blood when the teacher walked back in. They couldn't get up and search for her. He silently cursed as the went slowly until school ended. Students were packing when Winter walked back into class.

"Where'd you go?" Jounouchi questioned.

"Outside," she replied.

"Don't close yourself off again," Jounouchi warned.

Her eyes widened slightly at that before she carefully put on a mask of indifference. He looked around and noticed that Yugi was waiting for him and Winter. He turned and gave her a steeled expression before bringing a hand back and decking her in the face. Yugi let out a yell of alarm as she lost her footing and hit the ground. Jounouchi wasn't done quite yet as he picked her up by the front of her shirt.

"Why do you constantly push people away?!" Jounouchi asked, "We're your friends! You should be able to embrace others and have companionship!"

"Because the last time I did that they turned on me!" Winter yelled at him, "every single one of them."

Jounouchi watched as she forced tears back. He sighed before hitting his head into hers. She needed to understand and words weren't working.

"Well we aren't going to do that! Right Yugi?!" Jounouchi questioned.

"Y-Yeah!" Yugi confirmed, he may have been upset about the spirit conversation but he wasn't going to stop being her friend.

The tears finally broke free and Jounouchi released her and watched as she folded into herself. It surprised them when she didn't make any sounds. Yugi walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. His eyes widened slightly when she flinched and curled into an even smaller ball.

"Winter…" he quietly called.

She didn't even react when he put his arms around her shoulders. He could feel her trembling and wondered how long she had been holding onto such thoughts. He wondered how long she had the fear of being tossed away. Jounouchi quietly growled before giving her a sad look. He had heard the story from Akira, her father had tossed her aside and so had her childhood friends. Those actions always leave scars. He just never really called attention to them until now.

"I'm fine," came Winters quiet voice.

"No you're not," Jounouchi grumbled.

He helped her up to her feet and watched as she kept her gaze down at the floor. Her eyes were red and her face was blotchy. He winced at the bruise that was forming on the left side of her face. He hadn't meant to hit her that hard. Yugi felt the awkward air and gave a sigh.

"Why don't we go to the arcade?" Yugi suggested, "It might help bring everyone's mind off of everything."

"Nice thinking Yugi," Jounouchi whispered to his small friend, "You can't turn that down Winter."

She went to open her mouth to argue but quickly shut her mouth. They headed to the arcade in an awkward silence. When they got there Winter blinked in surprise at something.

"Kai? They have all the highest scores," She stated in surprise.

"Yeah, and todays the day that I'm going to break their record!" Jounouchi stated.

"In what game?" Winter questioned, "You suck at some of these games."

He blinked at that before realizing that she was teasing. He brought her into a headlock and gave her a noogie. She complained at that and began to smack at his arm. Yugi let out a happy laugh at the twos antics, he was glad that everything was slowly going back to normal. Jounouchi finally let her go and she went to hide behind Yugi.

"I give, all mighty Katsuya you can totally defeat Kai," Winter stated.

"Yeah!" Yugi agreed.

"What losers," A kid stated, "Do you guys really think you can beat Kaiba-Sama's record?"

Jounouchi growled at the kids before Winter tilted her head. She stepped out from behind Yugi and he watched as she walked up to the kid. The kid looked up at her and gained a scared face before she smiled at him.

"The older Kaiba or younger Kaiba?" She questioned.

"T-The older brother, he's a genius at games," The kid replied, "We haven't seen him for a while but we heard a rumor that he's creating the ultimate game."

"Death T," Winter muttered.

"You guys can be here all day and you still won't defeat Kaiba-Sama's scores," The kid cheekily grinned, "See ya!"

"You brats!" Jounouchi growled as he looked at the games.

"Lets just play some games," Yugi suggested.

Winter nodded her agreement and Jounouchi attempted a driving game while the other two watched in slight amusement. Yugi spared a glance to the taller teen and noted the thoughtful expression on her face. She still had the evidence of her tears on her face and he felt a little guilty. She looked down to him and gave his head a pat.

"Don't feel guilty, it's not your fault," Winter told him, "you haven't done anything wrong."

He nodded in understanding and watched as she looked at a fighting game. He grabbed her hand and walked over to it with her. Jounouchi looked from his spot in the racing game and watched as Winter took a seat next to Yugi and watched as he started up a round. Jounouchi got up and looked at the character that Yugi had picked.

"Hey that character looks like Bruce Lee," Jounouchi pointed out.

"I like Bruce Lee," Yugi grinned.

Yugi played the round and won. Jounouchi and Winter gave him grins before a challenger made themselves known. Winter stood up in an attempt to see if she could see who it was. She made a face when she could barely see the top of their head.

"Did you see them?" Yugi asked.

"All I can see is black hair," She replied as she sat back down, "I think you can take him."

Yugi grinned and Jounouchi leaned against Winter and watched as he easily defeated the challenger. Then again, and again. She began to make a face when he challenged again. Yugi and Winter shared a look and traded seats. Jounouchi looked interested as she chose the same character that Yugi had been using. He didn't even last a minute when she laid into him with the character. She then stood up and went around the machines with a frown on her face.

"I think he made her mad," Yugi muttered to Jounouchi.

"Nah, she loves games like this," Jounouchi stated, "She's probably asking him to stop challenging you because he's spent too much money. Want something to drink? My treat."

"I'd appreciate that, a cola please," Yugi grinned.

Jounouchi walked away with his hands in his pockets and Yugi sat at the game with a small smile on his face. He felt better than he had yesterday. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the puzzle. He was imagining a telephone in a way to contact the spirit of his puzzle. He got a few emotions instead of a voice. Loneliness, happiness, love, and hate. He could feel all those emotions as if they were his own. He sighed sadly for the spirit in his puzzle and wondered if it would be an okay thing to bring up to Winter. She'd listen to his worries, he knew she would. A sudden crash came from the other side and he watched as Winter slid across the floor.

"What the hell you jerk?!" She snapped, anger flashed in her eyes as she glared at the person who had hurt her.

"Where's the kid who kept beating me?" A gruff voice asked, tan hands came forward and clenched the front of her school blazer.

"I'm not telling you! You'd just hurt them!" She shouted.

She brought an arm up and blocked the punch the owner of the ran hands sent her way. Yugi got a good look at them and noticed that he looked just like the fighting character. He felt a surge of anger and instantly knew it was both his and the spirits. He rushed forward and tugged on the mans arm.

"Leave her alone, I was the one who beat you in the game," he stated.

"Yugi," She gently stated.

She yelled as the man tossed her down and turned his blows to the smaller teen. She got up slowly and went to help Yugi. The man brought out a pocket knife and she stopped in her tracks as she eyed the knife nervously. The puzzle around Yugi's neck was removed and the man ran off with it. Yugi was surprised when she went to him and placed a gentle hand against his face.

"Yugi, I'm sorry," She stated.

He was helped into a sitting position as the kids from earlier cane over with worried faces. They may have been brats, but they didn't really want to see people get hurt for no reason. After all those two were really nice when they talked.

"You guys okay?" One of the kids asked, his shaggy black hair was ruffled by Winter.

"I've got a first aid kit in my bag," She stated, "For emergencies of course."

Winter brought out her kit and set a cold press against Yugi's cheek. She had to get the swelling down first before it started to close one of his eyes. Jounouchi ran up to the two and his eyes went wide at the state that they were in. He left them for five minutes and they somehow got themselves into trouble. He could fathom how they accomplished such things.

"What happened?" Jounouchi asked.

"The challenger didn't take his loss very well and decided to take it out on Yugi," Winter explained.

"He took the puzzle," Yugi softly stated.

Jounouchi had already taken off before anything else was said. Winter stayed with Yugi and helped clean him up. She sat him down at the game before joining him. He watched as she touched the left side of her face with a gentle hand. The left side of her face was deeply bruised and he winced at that. Jounouchi had hit her face once and butted heads with her. The Man had hit her multiple times in the face until her left side was covered in dark bruises. She seemed to feel his eyes on her and she gave him a small smile.

"How'd you get hurt Katsuya?" She asked as she noticed something.

Jounouchi was walking up to them with the puzzle in one hand and three drinks in the other. He even had a grin on his face as he handed Yugi back the puzzle. The puzzle went around his neck and drinks were shared as they looked for other things to do in the arcade. Jounouchi snickered as Winter played a crane machine with a new mascot in it. Gudetama, apparently it was an egg yolk that was clinically won a rather large plush and the grin on her face as she pulled it out of the machine was great.

"He's interesting looking," Jounouchi stated.

Indeed, the mascot had a blanket that was a strip of bacon. Winter gave a chuckle as they left the arcade and started to head towards a bus stop so they could head home. A limo stopped next to them and a man got out.

"You are Mutou Yugi and Akahosi Winter, plus friend," The man stated, "I have orders from Kaiba-Sama to come and meet you."

"Kaiba?" The three asked in confusion before they were herded into the limousine.

"Why'd Kaiba call us?" Jounouchi questioned.

"It is weird since he hasn't been in school lately," Yugi commented.

"He runs a multimillion company, he replaced his father as the president of Kaiba Corp," Winter stated.

"Akahoshi-San is correct, he has been very busy as of late," The driver commented.

"What is Kaiba Corp?" Yugi quietly asked.

"Its an entertainment company that works very similarly to Industrial Illusions," Winter quietly informed him.

Yugi looked out the window for a few seconds and couldn't believe that the kid who had attempted to steal a card from his was also the owner of a company. He didn't know that's there had been so much pride at stake when he had played against the brunette. He almost jolted from that thought, he was starting to gain bits and pieces back from the spirit who was slowly realizing that he wanted to communicate. He had seen the way that the spirit communicated with Winter and smiled softly. She had always known the difference between him and the spirit.

"And I'm the Vice President," A very familiar voice stated.

"Mokimon?" Winter asked in genuine confusion.

Mokuba almost blanched at the nickname and sent her a slightly frazzled look. Jounouchi barely kept in his snort as Yugi studied the way the kid attempted to get rid of his blush. He couldn't help but think Winter had that effect on people.

"I just wanted to let you guys know that my brothers project is finished and it's grand opening is tomorrow," Mokuba informed them, "He wanted to invite you guys to a special party that's happening tonight."

"What kind of project is it?" Yugi asked.

"I can't tell, it's too secret," Mokuba stated.

The three friends shared a look and Winters look of worry caused them to blanch slightly. If she was weary then they were going to be weary as well. The limo took a sharp turn into a gated community and the three noted all the expensive houses. She could skin this to the richness of Beverly Hills or in the beautiful areas that one of her idols lived in. They stopped outside the biggest house and Mokuba got out first to lead the way inside. The three teens followed after.

"No one break anything," She warned the two.

She got nods of agreement as they walked into a large foyer. Jounouchi couldn't help but notice that it missed the inviting air that the Akahoshi household had. Even if the occupants were strained at the moment the House always felt inviting to him.

"Welcome home, sir," an elderly man greeted, "Yugi-Sama, Winter-Sama, I have orders to see to your every comfort."

Winter questioned why she had been lumped into that category. She hadn't given Seto any kind of problems. Could it have been because she was there to see his defeat by Yami's hands? The more she thought about it the more it made sense. Seto was a man of pride and it had been hurt pretty bad by Yami defeating him.

"Where is my brother?" Mokuba asked.

"He went to lie down earlier," The man replied.

"He even invited his friends over," Mokuba grumbled.

"He's been working for days with no rest I don't want to disturb his sleep," The man stated.

"I guess that means you guys are my guests for the night," Mokuba stated, turning to the teens with his hands in his pockets.

"Shall we prepare dinner, Mokuba-Sama?" The man asked.

A loud growl answered his question and all eyes turned to Winter who was slowly turning a bright red as she stared down at her feet as if she had never seen them before. Mokuba found himself genuinely laughing at that as her cheeks turned a darker red. Jounouchi snickered at her and she elbowed him in the gut.

"I guess that's the answer, let's begin with the appetizers," Mokuba ordered.

"Right away sir," the elderly man stated, he began to direct the servants to their new tasks.

Mokuba lead the group into the kitchen where some food was already sitting on plates. Jounouchi's face fell at the sight of desserts and children's meals. Winter eyed Mokuba was weariness and took a seat between Yugi and Jounouchi. She then sighed and gave the child a look of disbelief.

"What's the catch?" She asked, "This table top looks like it rotates."

"We're going to play a game," Mokuba innocently said, "These tables are usually found in Chinese restaurants, the three of us will take turns spinning the table and you have to eat the meal in front of you."

"You didn't poison any of it, did you?" Jounouchi attempted to joke.

"As my guests you don't have anything to worry about!" Mokuba declared, he started to laugh and that caused Winter some worry, "I only hid a special prize inside one of these dishes. You go first Jounouchi-kun."

Jounouchi nodded and rotated the table with ease. It spun around for a few seconds before stopping on the child's meal. He made a face at that.

"Remember you have to eat all of it or else you lose, who knows you might even get the prize," Mokuba chirped.

Jounouchi took a bite of the food and was pleasantly surprised by the taste. He swallowed and went in for another bite when something felt as though it got stuck in his throat. He let out a pained gasp. Yugi and Winter immediately went to his side.

"Katsuya?!" Winter asked, her voice was almost hysterical.

"Jounouchi?" Yugi called.

"It seems as though Jounouchi-Kun found the prize!" Mokuba chirped.

Wide eyes turned to him and Winter held the blonde closer. She couldn't lose another brother. She couldn't lose more family. Jounouchi continued to gasp for air and leaned into Winter for support.

"What is going on?!" Yugi questioned.

"This is the game!" Mokuba claimed, "A deadly Russian food roulette! That poison will take effect in thirty minutes!"

"You're horrible," Winter growled.

Yugi looked towards her and noticed how she was clinging to Jounouchi. Tears were going down her face and he felt an anger well up in him that was unlike any he had felt before. The spirit was furious upon fully seeing the situation that the group had found themselves in. He gladly relinquished control to the spirit and was surprised when he was able to see what was going on.

"Mokuba! I'll never forgive you for this!" Yami growled.

"There's five meals left and one of them is poisoned, I guess it's your turn Winter-Chan," Mokuba stated.

She glared at him before placing a hand on the table and forcing it to rotate. Mokuba watched with narrowed blue eyes as he bumped the bottle in front of him. It stopped at one of the desserts and she narrowed her eyes in slight distrust before picking it up. She stared at the strawberry parfait before digging a spoon into it and taking a bite.

"I guess you were lucky enough to not get poison," Mokuba stated.

He then blinked in surprise as an empty dessert dish was placed on the table. Winter had eaten that so quickly that both players were surprised. Yami took his turn and eyed the spaghetti in front of him with slight worry. He took a bite and sighed in relief as he didn't get poison. Mokuba took his turn and Yami caught the motion of him nudging the bottle. He could hear his host mumbling about it.

"Whats that bottle for?" Yami questioned.

"Oh it's a syrup bottle for the hot cake," Mokuba answered.

"It looks empty," Yami pointed out.

Winter looked towards him before giving Jounouchi a small pat on the back as he attempted to even out his breathing. She couldn't help but agree with him. Something was off about how the game was being played. Yugi has gone quiet but was eyeing the bottle in deep thought. A sudden idea came to him, it had to be a switch for the table. He focused on one thought and hoped that the spirit could hear it.

' _Break the bottle_ ' was all he was able to get out.

"It's Winter-Chan's turn again," Mokuba quickly stated.

She went to turn the table when Yami places a hand on her knees. She looked towards him and he motioned towards the bottle with his eyes. She gave him a look of understanding before giving Mokuba a hard stare. The child blinked in surprise as her eyes seemed to glow.

"This turn ends it all, Mokuba," She informed him before spinning the table with all of her strength.

The table lifted up from the force of her spin and Yami jumped in surprise as Yugi looked in awe as the top spun. Yami couldn't help but agree with his hosts awe of her strength, but he found his eyes trained on her look of determination. There was a loud shattering and Mokuba looked at his switch in disbelief. It had broken from how hard the table was rocking. All of them waited with bated breath, except for Jounouchi who was still breathing evenly.

A hamburger stopped in front of Mokuba and a pizza stopped in front of Yami. The spirit took a deep breath and picked up a slice before bitting into it. He finished the first slice before offering one to Winter. She accepted with a small smile and quietly ate it.

"I've cleaned my plate, why haven't you?" Yami asked Mokuba.

"Fine! I'm eating!" Mokuba shouted.

He bit into the hamburger and started to choke before calling out for help. A few servants cane forward and Yami quickly snatched up the antidote that rested on the table. He automatically gave it to Jounouchi and he watched Winter relax as the blonde began to breathe with ease. She gave him a thankful look as she held onto Jounouchi.

"Ah, Yugi wants to be able to communicate with you, stop blocking him," She told him.

"As you wish, Hime," He smirked.

She gave him a look at that before hugging Jounouchi closer. The blonde allowed this before gently prying her off. He gave her a grin and she gently slapped him on the back of his head. They were all lead to rooms and she gave them all a strained smile before the doors to her room were closed by maids. Seto had actually asked that she be given a pair of pajamas and clothes. None of his maids knew why, but they couldn't help but love the taller teen and her pale skin.

"Have a nice night, Winter-Sama," They chimed.

"Please, you don't have to call me Sama," Winter softly stated, "Just Chan would be fine."

They both gave an inward squeal at how adorable it had been. They exited the room and Winter sat down on the large bed. She began to pick at the sleeves of the Chinese styled pajamas she found herself in. The doors opened and she blinked in surprise when Yami walked in.

"What can I do for you?" She questioned.

He looked towards her and his mouth went dry at the pajamas short shorts. He was more than a little distracted at her legs. Yugi couldn't help but share those sentiments, but quickly called for attention. Yami shook his head and gathered his thoughts.

"I have an idea that might help create a link of communication between Yugi and Me," Yami stated.

"You want me to use the key?" She asked.

She pulled the millennium item from her pajama shirt and the gold glinted in the low light. He gave her a nod and she sighed before placing the key against his forehead. She was welcomed to the sight of a hallway with two doors. One had the door wide open while the other was closed. A very familiar face stood by the closed door.

"Winter," Yugi greeted with a smile.

"Hello Yugi, let's see what I can do to help," She chuckled.

She went up to the closed door and opened it with ease. She questioned why it had been so easy for her to open. Yugi questioned it as well since he had been struggling to open it for the past ten minutes. He looked around the mind room and his eyes landed on the spirit that resides in the puzzle. He was the same height as him but somehow stood taller.

"Hime," Yami greeted, "Yugi, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Hime?" Yugi asked.

"I gave him the nickname Yami and he game me that nickname," She muttered, "Not a word."

"It fits you," Yami commented, "Hime."

She let out a groan of exasperation before stomping over to one of the stair cases and plopping down on the steps. Yugi blinked as Yami chuckled at her reaction, the spirit enjoyed getting a rise out of her. Yugi turned to the spirit and took a deep breath.

"You've been keeping memories from me," He stated, "I would like to know why."

He slowly started to lose his confidence as crimson eyes turned to him. They then softened and he was able to see a small glimmer of light in them.

"I've done some terrible things," Yami admitted, "When you solved the puzzle I had been free from three thousand years of darkness and solitude, I was not myself."

"Are you more yourself than you have been?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know," Yami admitted, "I have no recollection of who I was. I suppose this room represents that very well."

Yugi looked around once more and noticed all the stairs that went to nowhere. He felt sad for the spirit who was obviously trapped in a darkness that was almost inescapable. His eyes caught sight of Winter who had fallen asleep while leaning against a wall. Yami had started to stare at her and a gentle expression fell on the spirits face. It then made sense to Yugi why the spirit acted the way he did when something bad happened to her. He smiled softly as sudden emotions and thoughts became clear to him.

"I want to help you figure it out, but you have to promise me that you won't hurt anyone," Yugi stated.

"I can't completely promise that, those criminals are given penalty games, but I will promise not to kill anyone," Yami bargained.

Yugi sighed and knew that was the best he was going to get at the moment. He held out a hand and the two sealed the deal. He felt a little lighter now that he was going to be able to get to know the spirit in his puzzle. Yami moved and crouched next to Winter and gently placed a hand on the left side of her face.

"What happened?" He asked, "I know that she and Jounouchi had a disagreement, but most of these bruises were not done during that time."

"Someone got mad when he continuously got beaten in a game, she went over to reason with him to stop spending so much money and he got violent," Yugi admitted, "I'm not surprised that you didn't know, he stole the puzzle from me and Jounouchi brought it back."

Violet eyes lit up at the thoughts of his friends always having his back. Yami blinked at that and gave a sigh. Those three always got into the worst situations when he wasn't paying attention. He gently shook Winter awake and she sat up straighter and rubbed at her eyes as a way to wake up.

"Did I miss anything?" She asked.

"Not really," He told her.

"Let's head back," Yugi suggested.

She gave a tired nod and focused on exiting his mind. It took a few seconds but she broke the keys spell and was sent tumbling off the bed. Yugi gave a quiet gasp as she chuckled from the floor. He joined her before helping her back up.

"Good night, Winter," Yugi told her.

"Sweet dreams Yugi," She replied as he left her room.

He smiled softly at that and headed back into his room for the night. All the lights went out and the mansion fell into a rather comfortable sleep, well almost everyone. Mokuba was still awake as he stared at his ceiling with sad eyes. He knew what tomorrow was going to bring and he couldn't help but dread it, he hated hurting people but would do as his brother wished. He just wished that Winter hadn't been brought into it, he couldn't help but get an older sister vibe from her.

"I hope she'll be okay," He muttered before falling asleep.

No one knew what the next day would bring. All they knew was that being well rested was going to be important.


	7. Chapter 7

_**DEATH T, DEATH T, DEATH T! Can you guys tell that I'm hyped for this part of the plot? I am I was almost rushing to get the last chapter out that I spent all day writing it while I was sick. I said that but it took me like 20 years to get this chapter out. I just got bogged down with schoolwork. I also got rid of the pairing for now since I really don't know who I want Winter to end up with. I am welcomed to suggestions. I am also working on the past chapters and trying to revamp them and get all the kinks out of them and fix some of the spelling errors. This was such a long chapter so if you see this change at all, then it means that I read through it and found some errors.**_

 **I know this seems like begging but, I really do appreciate getting reviews and they help keep a story going when I see the support. So, for all those who have reviewed this story please know that I greatly appreciate the support and the suggestions.**

* * *

Chapter 7. _The Elusive Death T_

* * *

The next morning found the group of friends at the Kaiba's dining table once again. Yugi and Jounouchi stared at the clothes that Winter was wearing as she blushed a deep red. The black shirt was an open back and connected to a gold band that went around the neck like a collar, there were no sleeves. Her pants were black skinny jeans tucked into black, leather heeled boots. Yugi was sweating nervously at how the shirt showed off more skin than he was used to.

"I'm going to kill him." Winter growled; she was thankful she still had her bra.

Her normal clothes had been cleaned by the maids and wrapped in a nice plastic bag that couldn't be opened without scissors. She had tried and failed. Jounouchi finally sighed and cracked his knuckles. Yugi jumped at the loud noise and he heard a grumbling coming from the back of his head. He sent a quiet alert of what was going on. He almost wished he hadn't when the spirit became intrigued. He was then welcomed to the feelings of appreciation from the spirit.

"So, are you going to be okay?" Winter asked Jounouchi.

"Yeah, all I needed was a good night's sleep," Jounouchi grinned as he held a fist up, "But I don't like the idea of owing Kaiba one."

"Oh god, our guardians must be so worried right now." Winter stated as a sudden thought came to her.

"All of this for an opening ceremony we know nothing about," Jounouchi growled.

"I think we've been locked in." Yugi softly added, his eyes flickering towards the guard posted in front of the entrance.

Winter nodded in agreement before tensing up when she felt a shiver go down her spine. She turned and looked behind her to see Seto Kaiba walking down the grand staircase. She narrowed her eyes at the royal red coat that was wrapped around his shoulders. Jounouchi growled quietly and she gave him a slight kick before shaking her head. He calmed down and settled for glaring at the brunette.

"Good morning, Yugi-Kun, Jounouchi-Kun," Seto greeted before his eyes met with Winters and then took note of how she was dressed, "Hime, I've been looking forward to seeing you all again."

Winter wondered how he figured out her nickname. All she knew was that it left a bad taste in her mouth when he called her that. She didn't like it, apparently Yugi didn't as well with how he was frowning. Yugi could feel how agitated the spirit was at the use of his nickname for Winter. The quiet death threats that were aimed towards Seto were something that he almost found himself agreeing with.

"You don't look very happy to see me," Seto commented, "You guys need to lighten up. It's a celebration after all."

"Kaiba, we didn't want to come here, and your little brother almost killed us," Jounouchi pointed out, "We aren't going to meekly say we're happy to see you."

"He's such a cheeky child," Seto stated, an almost fond tone in his voice, "You've gotten so anxious about a child's game."

"That child's game almost killed Jounouchi," Winter pointed out, "So I believe he has some reason to be very upset about it."

Blue eyes narrowed at those words and Winter copied the expression as well. Jounouchi and Yugi backed up at the two's intensity. The spirit began to growl in the back of Yugi's mind. The teen slowly calmed him down before mentioning the fact that Winter was more likely to punch Seto than anything else. Yami begrudgingly agreed with that and went back to observing what was going on.

"There's no time to waste, we have to get going now." Seto stated.

The brunette began to lead the way out of the mansion and the group of friends followed. Winter walked next to Jounouchi and Yugi. Yugi couldn't help but watch the muscles in her back tense with her movement. Both the spirit and him couldn't help but enjoy the view, and people made fun of him for being short. He couldn't help but wonder who was laughing now. Seto headed into a limousine and they climbed in after.

"My dream project has finally been finished," Seto stated, "I'm sure you guys are going to love it, you can even see it from here."

"That's a rather big building," Winter muttered, "Its almost as big as his ego."

Jounouchi heard her and started to snicker.

"This is Kaiba land and indoor amusement park." Seto informed them as the limo came to a stop.

The door was opened, and the sounds of a crowd met the groups ears. Seto was the first one out and was quickly followed out by Winter. She waited for Yugi and Jounouchi to climb out of the limo before looking around at the crowd of children around them.

"Welcome to the Kaiba land opening ceremonies!" Seto happily exclaimed, "Even though Kaiba land doesn't open for another three days you lucky few have been invited to play for free. I want everyone to have fun! We're open everyone! Welcome to Kaiba land!"

"I have a bad feeling about this." Winter muttered.

Yugi looked up at her in surprise and noticed the way she was holding onto the millennium key. It gained a golden glow and he noticed how her eyes narrowed at Seto in slight disbelief and anger. There was an underlying layer of fear to her expression as well. He was momentarily distracted as the crowds of children gleefully ran towards the different attractions. He wanted to join in and play at some of the 3D simulators. He shared a look with Jounouchi, it seemed harmless. That was until a haggard looking man walked up to the small group.

"I know what you did, Seto!" He shouted gaining their attention, "You killed the CEO! You took over the company and drove your own father to commit suicide!"

"Throw him out." Seto commanded his bodyguards.

Two large men walked forward and easily subdued the man. He didn't go quietly and was cursing Seto the entire way. Winter turned towards the brunette and narrowed her eyes at him. The man hadn't been lying, nor had he been telling the whole truth. Just what caused a boy to kill his father?

"He used to be my father's right hand man and now he's a nobody," Seto explained, "My father's death was a tragedy, but I had nothing to do with it, in fact I think he'd be at peace knowing that I took over for him."

"Is that so." Winter quietly stated.

She couldn't relate. Her father had been a nice man until her mother died. He wouldn't have been happy if she had taken over his line of work. He would've raised himself from the grave to complain. Her hand wrapped around the key and she shook such thoughts from her mind. There were far more important things at hand.

"Well then," Seto stated, "Let me show you around the park."

It was a tense atmosphere the covered the four as they looked at each of the attractions that were built into the main building. Yugi was having fun as he and Jounouchi went on a few rides. Winter elected to stay outside with Seto. She wasn't the biggest fan of virtual reality.

"I must congratulate you on your breakthrough into card design, Hime," Seto told Winter, "I hear that Industrial Illusions is considering bringing you on as an appearance to the CEO."

"I have heard nothing of the sorts," Winter shook her head, "Mr. Pegasus does have a knack for springing surprises on people, but I must say that this park is rather exquisite."

"We spared no expense in its building or programming," He replied as a flat screen showed a picture of a scared Jounouchi and Yugi, "Everything here is cutting edge technology."

"You might want to slow down there Hammond," She warned, "If you've ever read _Jurassic Park,_ you'd know what happens from uttering those words."

Cold blue eyes narrowed and stared at warm gold eyes. Yugi and Jounouchi came back from the virtual reality game with grins on their faces. Winter then seemed to realize that they were all heavily bruised from the other day. It must've looked weird to everyone at the park.

"This Park is amazing, Kaiba-Kun!" Yugi exclaimed with a childlike smile.

"The real fun is yet to come!" Seto stated, he was leading them across an overhead pass that showed the main floor of the giant building, "What I have yet to show you is the biggest attraction of the opening ceremony. It's a special showcase just for you, Yugi."

"You didn't have to." Yugi stated with a small blush on his cheeks.

"There must be a huge crowd inside the area." Jounouchi commented as they neared a pair of doors.

They could hear the commotion of a crowd and it sounded like it was as big as the one that had been outside the building. Seto turned to them and the smile he gave them caused a shiver to go down Winter's spine. She really wasn't going to trust him in this juncture. There was something wrong with him.

"It's on the other side of this door," Seto informed them, "You all have front row seats."

The door opened and they were welcomed to a large arena. Hazel eyes widened in surprise at the sight in front of them. Thousands of children were sitting in the stands that surrounded a large glass cube. The three of them jolted in surprise when they saw someone inside of the cube.

"Jiji?!" Yugi exclaimed in shock.

"Mutou-san?" Winter blinked in confusion.

Yugi took off running towards the cube and the security man in front of it didn't even stop him. Yugi's Grandpa turned in the seat and noticed his grandson pushing up against the glass. He couldn't hear what Yugi was saying, and he couldn't help but frown. Winter and Jounouchi hurried and joined Yugi and he relaxed a bit, at least his grandson wasn't going to be alone in his endeavors. The security guard finally reacted and moved the three back.

"What is your major malfunction, Seto?" Winter hissed as Seto passed by them.

He spared her a look and she narrowed her eyes at him in anger. He removed the red cloak from his shoulders and tossed it at her. She caught it with a look of annoyance and shoved it into the arms of one of his security guards. The force of her shove caused the man to lose his footing.

"What the hell is he planning?" Jounouchi asked.

"He had his pride hurt when the spirit won against him in a game of duel monsters," Winter stated, "Seto is the kind of person who will get his revenge no matter what, and it doesn't matter who he hurts."

"Everyone, please sit back and watch our duel monsters match!" Seto announced as he turned to the crowd with a pleasant expression on his face, "I have been challenged by an elderly gentleman who has claimed to be an undefeated master of duel monsters!"

"Son of a bitch," Winter growled as Seto headed into the cube.

The crowd went into a loud murmur at the fact that an old man was going to play against Seto. Grandpa looked towards his deck as he shuffled his cards. He was nervous, that was a bit of an understatement as he looked out of the corner of his eyes towards the giant crowd, and he knew that something was going to be at stake if he lost. Yugi couldn't help but be amazed by how serious his Grandpa looked.

"He turned on the mics in the cube so we can hear the duel," Winter muttered.

"Don't hold back on me," Seto told Grandpa.

"I won't," Grandpa stated.

"We both start out with two thousand life points each and we only have forty cards in our deck, per the new rules of the game," Seto stated.

"New rules?" Jounouchi asked, he had just started gaining an interest in the game.

"Mr. Crawford is constantly changing the rules for new tournaments," Winter stated with a slight smile, "He's trying to work out all the kinks to the game before starting new booster packs with brand new cards."

"How do you know so much about that?" Jounouchi questioned.

"I technically work for him since I keep designing new cards for his future booster packs," She replied in a sheepish tone, "But we can talk about that later."

"Let the game start!" Seto announced, "The box we are in has technology specifically designed for this game, it might be too intense for you."

The three were slightly impressed by his claim but were waiting for proof. The two drew cards and studied their hands. Seto gained a smirk as he picked a card out of his hand. He had drawn the perfect card to show off his technology.

"For example," Seto stated as he placed the card down on the table, "The walls around us project a three-dimensional image of the monster, this is a virtual duel simulation box."

Cyclops was placed down, and the one-eyed monster loomed over Grandpa and he backed up a bit. It caused his heart to thump uncomfortably in his chest as the sounds of the monster card filled the box. He took a breath to calm down. He needed to keep a calm mind if he was to win.

"This isn't going to be very good for my heart," Grandpa stated as he placed a card down in his monster zone, "I place down the card Hobbit and use it to attack, you lose five hundred life points."

The children in the stands let out an impressed murmur. Winter smiled at the move that Grandpa had made, it had been a smart one. It left Seto with out any monsters on the field. She was also very impressed by the technology that had been invented just for this duel. She couldn't help but wonder if it was a revenge duel since it was against Grandpa.

Seto set down another card and the alien looking monster let out a burst of flame towards the Hobbit. Grandpa flinched slightly and that's when the three teenagers noticed something. The glass was fogging up slightly. It was as if heat was inside of the cube.

"Its not just virtual reality," Jounouchi stated, "There has to be an environmental machine inside that cube."

Yugi and Winter stared at him in slight disbelief. He felt his ears heat up at their shared look. It wasn't like he was stupid; he just didn't like pointing things like that out. He wondered if he should start pointing it out more often so that he wouldn't have to deal with those looks.

"What? I like technology," Jounouchi defended himself.

"You lose three hundred life points," Seto pointed out to Grandpa.

"You haven't won yet," Grandpa stated.

"You can do it, Muto-san!" Winter called.

"You can definitely win, Jiji!" Yugi added.

Grandpa looked towards Seto with a slight frown before drawing his next card. He spared it a look before closing his eyes. He felt as though victory was in his grasp. He looked towards Seto who raised a brow, though it went unseen due to how his bangs covered his forehead.

"I drew the blue eyes white dragon," Grandpa stated, "When I set it down, this match is over."

Seto tilted his head back in surprise. Winter clicked her tongue. He was faking his surprise, but why? She didn't know why he was pretending to be surprised. A sudden thought hit her, and she tensed slightly. He couldn't have. There were only four of the cards made, and if he had one. Then Grandpa and Seto were evenly matched.

"He couldn't possibly have one," Winter stated.

"Have one what?" Jounouchi asked.

"A blue eyes white dragon," Yugi answered, "There were only four of them made."

"You two are such nerds," Jounouchi stated in a fond tone.

"So are you Katsuya," Winter countered.

He grinned at her as a virtual blue eyes was shown next to Grandpa as the card was placed on the field. The three teens turned their attention back to the duel. Seto had closed his eyes and grabbed one of his cards. They all became worried at the glint in his eyes. It was malicious.

"I guess I'll have to set this," Seto stated as he placed the card down and then grabbed another, "And on my next turn I'll have to set another, and then another."

"He…He has the remaining three?!" Winter exclaimed in surprise.

"How did he end up with them?" Yugi quietly questioned, "No one gets that lucky when it comes to booster packs."

Seto let out a nasty laugh and Grandpa narrowed his eyes at the teen. He was very unamused. This was not a fair duel, especially with how the odds were stacked up in his opponents' favor. His opponents attitude also left quite a bit to be desired.

"Despite the fact that this card game is gaining even more popularity around the world, I only found four collectors who had this card," Seto announced, "One in America, one in Germany, one in Hong Kong, and then you."

"That's because there were only four made," Grandpa informed him, "Every fan and collector worth their salt knows that."

"I wasn't done yet," Seto stated, "None of them wouldn't give up their cards so I used my assets to bankrupt them or even make mafia connections. One of them even killed themselves."

"How horrible," Winter stated as she gave a glare towards the brunette teen.

He grabbed the older man's card and with one quick snap of his wrist the card was torn in half. Grandpa and Yugi gained horrified expressions as Seto began to manically laugh. Jounouchi and Winter gained glares that could kill several people. Winter's worsened and got darker as crimson took over her eyes. Jounouchi let up on his glare slightly as he turned to look behind them. He was freaked out when he saw her shadow twisting and turning in a manner that was reminiscent of waves crashing against rocks.

"Now I am the only one of Earth who has this card!" Seto exclaimed, "Welcome to your penalty game, old man! But wait, there's one more for you!"

The virtual reality machine let out a loud whirring sound as it began to work towards starting a new hologram. It summoned multiple monsters at once and that was enough for Winter as the old man let out a scream of fright. She moved forward and when one of the security guards moved to stop her, she sidestepped them and brought her palm crashing into his nose. A loud crack went traveled through the air as she broke his nose and continued her way towards the cube. Seto noticed this and nodded at more of his guards. Jounouchi took his chance to run off and find a phone to call emergency services.

"If you want to stop the simulation and free him you have to agree to participate in Kaiba land's secret attraction Death-T," Seto stated as several guards stopped Winter by grabbing her arms, "I created this as my ultimate revenge, Ten billion yen went into this building just for this attraction."

"I'll do it!" Yugi exclaimed.

Seto gave a low laugh in response. None of the three liked the sound of that and Seto nodded at the guards. They first stopped the stimulation and then released Winter who was still glaring murder at Seto. Yugi ran to check on his grandfather.

"Call an ambulance," Winter ordered Seto.

Seto snorted in response and she made to move forward but stopped upon noticing the security guards. She took a deep breath and continued glaring at the brunette. His blue eyes gained a challenging glint to them and there was some modicum of respect in his eyes. She didn't want his respect. She wanted him to fix his goddamn mess and get Grandpa an ambulance. Jounouchi came in with an emergency crew behind him and they went past him towards Grandpa. Jounouchi went towards Winter and put a hand on her shoulder to lead her away from Seto.

"You think you can beat me with the cards your loser Grandfather used?" Seto sarcastically asked.

"I promised him that I would beat you with these cards," Yugi replied as he held them close.

"I have three copies of the strongest card in history, you don't even have one in that deck," Seto laughed, "I've planned a rematch with you from the very beginning, on the top of this building a dome has been prepared for our duel, with each Death attraction you'll move closer to the top floor, but I doubt that you'll beat Death-T."

"Really? We're going with him!" Jounouchi announced as he stepped up to stand by Yugi on his right side.

Yugi jumped slightly when a small hand was placed on his left shoulder. He looked up to see Winter with a small smile on her bruised face. He couldn't help but feel ecstatic that he had friends that were going to stand by him. He just wished that there wasn't anything too dangerous in the games that Seto had created.

"I know for a fact that Yugi can beat you in a card game," Winter pointed out, "In fact you should've lost that duel against his grandfather due to the fact that you skipped two of his turns to show off your three rare cards."

Blue eyes narrowed at that piece of information. Seto knew that she had been making herself known in character designing, but he didn't know who she was working with. It was something he really needed to figure out. He looked up and noticed another one of their friends heading towards them.

"Have you guys forgotten about me?" A voice called out, "Jounouchi, Yugi, and Winter, really guys?"

"Honda?" Jounouchi and Winter asked in unison.

"What's with the kid?" Jounouchi questioned.

"This is my big sister's brat, he kept whining about going to Kaiba land," Honda replied before turning towards Yugi, "I'll lend you my strength as well Yugi, I saw the entire thing go down and I think I'll be of some use."

"Thank you," Yugi stated with a small smile.

"Let's begin then," Winter stated as she looked over the others.

"We can beat anything you throw at us, Kaiba," Jounouchi stated and Seto gave a derisive snort.

"Open the gate to Death-T!" Seto ordered.

A hiss sounded as the hydraulics attached to the doors to the attraction opened. There was even a smoke machine that covered the steps that lead to the doors with a white and blue fog. The four teens turned towards the doors with confidence plastered on their faces. The crowd was quiet and looked towards the group and started taking bets who would fail first.

"Pass through the gate," Seto told them as they walked towards the gate, "I'll be waiting at the top."

The doors slammed shut behind the four and they sighed. Honda put his arms behind him to get a better hold on his small nephew and looked towards the other three. He had a question that was burning to be released, but he didn't know how they'd react. Then again, the person his question was aimed at was usually nice about answering strange questions.

"What's with the outfit, Winter?" He finally asked.

"We were essentially kidnapped by Seto's younger brother and had to stay the night at their place," Winter answered as they headed down a long metal tunnel, "Apparently I was the only one that had to have a clothes change, Seto is a dead man walking right now."

At least she was truthful about it. He wouldn't want to be in Seto's shoes. He squinted down the tunnel and wondered just how much longer they had to walk. There didn't seem to be an attraction in sight. It didn't help that it was dark. He was pretty sure that the shadows in the darkness were moving. He felt a shiver go down his spine at the thought of something like that happening.

"I don't see any attractions," Jounouchi stated.

They reached a metal door that clearly told them that it was the first attraction. They all stopped in unison and stared at it with sweat going down their faces. It was an oddly warm day and being inside of the building where there was no air conditioning was absolute murder. It was starting to get stuffy due to how humid it was getting.

"I guess this is the first attraction, Death-T one," Yugi muttered.

"Would it kill him to have some kind of air conditioning in here?" Winter asked and Jounouchi snorted.

"The door's opening," Honda pointed.

This door opened faster than the first one and they walked through. It was loud. That was the first thing they noticed. A siren was going off through the speakers that hung-over head and someone was telling them that there was an emergency. It reminded Winter of the video game Doom.

"H-Help me," A female stuttered.

The group of four gained similar looks of disbelief at the sight of Anzu in a short dress with a gun slung across her shoulder. Anzu blinked as it finally dawned on her who was in the game. She made a loud noise of disbelief before pinching the bridge of her nose. Of course, it was them that had to figure out that she had yet another job. She was starting to wonder if she was cursed at this point.

"It's my first day here and you guys have already found out that I have another job," Anzu stated.

"Why were you calling for help?" Jounouchi asked.

"She's a guide for the attraction, it's probably one of her lines," Winter answered, and they all looked towards her, "My brother had his third birthday at Disney land, and I had my tenth at Universal Studios so I know how this works for the most part."

"Well the next part of this would be telling you guys that the space station is being destroyed by an enemy raid and that you need to put on cybervests and laser guns to defeat them," Anzu informed them.

"You are going to hate what Death-T actually is, but I can explain it to you as we get ready," Winter told her with a small sigh.

Anzu blinked in surprise as she showed them what the Cybervests and the laser guns. She was quickly brought up to speed and was completely infuriated. It was a three-on-three shooting battle and Winter played Janken with Jounouchi to see who would participate in the game. She was pouting as he stood there checking out the laser gun.

"Good luck you guys, the battle takes place inside that room with an electric field," Anzu informed them, "Aim for the left chest plate on your enemy, it's a surefire way to take them out and make sure that you aren't shot. When all three of you are taken out it's game over."

"I'll look over your nephew," Winter informed Honda.

He looked relieved and gave her a small smile as he handed over the kid. The kid instantly decided to snuggle into her chest. She made a face as they headed into the game. She then became slightly worried, and Anzu took notice.

"Do you think that Kaiba might've rigged the game?" she asked the much taller teen.

"Definitely," Winter nodded, "With his money he could easily hire someone that has a military background to face off against them."

"You'd think someone that good looking would have a better personality," Anzu muttered.

"Please all he has that are those blue eyes that are to die for," Winter stated with a shrug.

Anzu stared at her for a few seconds before tilting her head. She was starting to believe that her only female friend had a thing for men with blue eyes. The Dark Magician had blue eyes and she drew him a lot. More than the Dark Magician Girl. They looked up towards the monitor that showed the game in progress and they made an identical look of amusement as Jounouchi took down one of the opponents with a kick to the face.

"Ne, Winter-Chan," A little voice caught Winter's attention and she looked down at the toddler in her arms, "Why don't we leave them behind and go on a date in the park?"

"What's your name little guy?" Winter asked, not even fazed by the kid's actions.

"My name is Jouji!" He exclaimed.

"I have a busy day so a date is out of the question, but I can give you a little kiss," Winter chuckled and gave Jouji a little smooch on his cheek.

Anzu laughed at how pink the toddler's face got and wondered if Winter used to babysit for her brother. She gained a soft smile at that thought, it was probably the most likely thing. Winter put Jouji on her hip and turned towards the opening doors. She gave a small sigh.

"Is the game an unfair one?" She asked, "I was starting to suspect that might be the case."

"Yeah," Honda nodded, "Our guns are useless, we can't possibly win due to Kaiba rigging the game."

"Hold on Jouji," Winter told the toddler who was getting mad.

She motioned for Anzu's gun and the brunette handed it over. Winter easily lined up her shot and hit one of the spare cybervests. The amount of electricity that was coming from the vest was visible to the eyes and the three boys looked on in horror. That amount was easily above the lethal amount.

"Hold on," Honda stated as he looked towards his gun, "The guns look identical, but they have a different build. Those mercenaries probably have this type of gun, the deadly kind."

"Seto must not have known that Anzu had this job or he would never had given her that gun," Jounouchi stated.

"We can use this gun to fight them," Honda stated, "Kaiba didn't plan on giving us a real weapon."

"This is what, the second time he's cheated in the span of one day?" Winter asked, "This is poor sportsmanship."

"I quit!" Anzu stated as she frowned.

"You guys have been saying nothing but slander about Kaiba-Sama," Jouji stated.

Honda looked towards his nephew and he had a plan. The others were worried when he mentioned using Jouji as a secondary fighter. If Seto was going to cheat, then so would he. He didn't see any rules that didn't say he couldn't have his nephew help fight.

"Leave it to me," He told them.

He went back in and Jouji gave them a small salute before the doors closed. Jouji was easily seen on the monitors but the mercenaries couldn't see him, and they couldn't hear what was going on. Honda put his hands up in surrender and Jouji tossed the working gun up in the air. Honda caught it with ease and shot the two mercenaries' and took them down. He had lowered the voltage on the gun since he didn't want to kill anyone.

"Nicely done, Honda, Jouji," Winter stated, giving the two a smile.

"All right, on to the next game," Jounouchi stated, "This one was just a warmup, right?"

"The last one almost killed us, Seto would have even more dangerous games prepared," Yugi pointed out.

"That's why we need to keep our eyes open," Winter smiled.

"The next attraction is up ahead," Honda informed them.

Anzu pouted slightly as she looked down at Jouji. He had wanted to be carried by her and she had been nice enough to agree to it, but she was slowly regretting it. Who knew a little kid could be such a pervert? Just what was he being taught?

"We'll beat whatever is up ahead," Jounouchi stated.

"Do you wonder if Seto created these with all of us in mind?" Winter suddenly asked, "It plays to each of our strengths and our weaknesses."

"Now why did you have to go and say that?" Jounouchi questioned.

"Sorry, I'm just overthinking it," Winter gave a sheepish chuckle.

Death-T worried her. It was something that Seto had put an incredible amount of time into, and as well as a ludicrous amount of money. Her stomach was churning, and she sighed quietly before touching a hand against the cool metal of her millennium key. They walked up to Death-T two and noted the imagery that surrounded the entrance. Winter couldn't help but akin it to the Haunted Mansion at how it tried to be scary, but not scary enough.

She felt her eye twitch at the number of clichés surrounding them. Tombstones with the crosses that sat on top of them. Skulls? Bats? She had to wonder where Seto had learned how to scare people, because it wasn't working on her.

"This place is giving me the creeps," Jounouchi admitted.

"There's a chill going up my back," Honda agreed.

"I like it," Winter stated with a small smile.

She walked further into the attraction and the other four stared at her back in surprise. Jounouchi wondered if he could ever survive a movie night if it was nothing but horror movies. He instantly concluded that he'd lose his mind. She let out a small scream and he hurried towards the source; all sign of fear was gone from his face. Winter was standing in front of a man wearing a hooded cloak and was holding a hand to her chest.

"Honored guest," The man stated and turned to face the others, "If you wish to keep your lives, you should not scream so much past this point."

"You snuck up behind me," Winter stated as she frowned.

"I will guide you to the next attraction," The man stated, ignoring Winter as though she had never spoken, "Please, follow me."

"Isn't that Seto's butler?" Yugi asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Jounouchi nodded as they all followed the butler.

"Everyone please direct your attention here," The Butler stated, motioning towards a bunch of chairs attached to a roller coaster car.

"Are you wanting us to ride that?" The group asked in unison.

"This ride will take you to your next destination," He replied.

"We have to take this to get to the next ride," Winter worked out, "Great."

"Take your seats, please," He stated.

Jounouchi and Honda took the two seats in the front. Anzu and Yugi sat in the middle and Winter was stuck sitting in the back with the Butler. The chairs were uncomfortable and didn't seem to have any kind of safety harness or restraints. A loud crash sounded in the air and their hands were trapped by metal bands and metal helmets were on their heads. They all began to struggle, and Winter paused as a thought hit her.

"Are these Electric chairs?" She asked, horror evident in her voice.

"That is correct, on our way to the murder mansion you shall ride on the electric chair ride of death," The Butler replied, "If your voice is heard even once the sensor in the helmet will hear and jolt you with one mission volts of electricity."

"No one made a sound, no matter what!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"You're the one we're worried about," The others informed him.

"As your guide I will also participate in this game," The butler announced as he too was restrained by the chair, "My chair is just like yours. Prepare yourselves, the ride is starting."

The cart moved forward at a snail's pace and they were welcomed to the darkness. Winter bit the inside of her cheek to keep from making any noise and closed her eyes. She was nervous and the feeling of danger that had been present since she had woken up was getting worse. The ride got a bit faster and the next thing she knew she was being touched by small hands and getting hit in the face by puffs of cold air. She clenched her jaw to not make any form of noise. She was welcomed to a very familiar smell and opened her eyes just in time to see the old Butler being burnt to a crisp by his chair.

After ten minutes the ride ended, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Honda was the first to get the use of his arms back and turned in his seat to see if the others were okay. Yugi and Anzu were removing the metal helmets and Winter was sitting still in her seat as she had trouble tearing her eyes away from the smoking corpse of the Butler. He snapped his fingers and she looked towards him.

"At least it's over," Honda stated in a bright tone.

"How's Jounouchi?" Anzu questioned.

"He fainted?!" Honda asked in surprise, and a little bit of disbelief.

"That's probably how he survived," Yugi stated in slight amusement.

"That sounds like him," Winter stated as she walked towards the front of the ride and leaned down to Jounouchi, "Katsuya, if you don't get up Sachiko isn't going to make your favorite food for dinner."

Jounouchi got up and let out a scream. The others let out some light laughter as he turned towards the taller teen and brought her into a headlock. Eventually they got off the ride and looked up at the next part of Death-T two. It was a mansion that looked as though it had been built during the Victorian age.

"Someone is going to get sued," Winter commented without thinking about it.

Yugi let out a light chuckle at that before giving a surprised jolt when something pulsed in his pocket. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his Grandfather's deck. It had gained a golden glow and was pulsing every so often. Yami stirred in his mind and became interested in what was going on. Yugi had been doing fine, he wasn't going to jump in unless he absolutely had to.

"What's wrong, Yugi?" Jounouchi asked.

"These cards are telling me that Jiji is in a dangerous condition and might die," Yugi stated.

"Let's get moving then!" Winter stated and the other's nodded in agreement.

They hurried towards the front door of the mansion and Yugi put the deck away again. Honda kicked the door open and they walked in. It had a dusty smell and it truly felt as though no one had been inside in a long time. Winter dragged her foot across the scarred wood floor and noted the line she made in the dust. She hated the fact that she was impressed that Seto had gotten the atmosphere right.

"No one move until your eyes get used to the dark," Honda warned.

The door behind them slammed shut and Anzu moved forward to try and get it to open. When it didn't budge Jounouchi moved closer to Winter. He didn't like the idea of being stuck in a spooky mansion. He wasn't the biggest fan of all thing's horror. At least she was calm enough for the two of them.

"Does anyone have anything with a sharp point, I could get this door open," Jounouchi stated as he looked at the lock.

"What a strange talent," Anzu commented.

"Why should we leave through the door we came in?" Jouji asked, "Let's find the exit."

"Jouji is right," Honda stated, "We have to find the exit to advance."

"Everyone split up and look for an exit," Yugi stated.

Winter sighed as she walked away from them. She wondered if they had never seen a horror movie in their lives. They didn't know the number one rule of horror movies. The never split up rule. She looked behind a suit of armor and noted that there was a projector hidden behind it. She gave a soft sigh.

"Seto, I know you are watching," She stated, surprising the others, "Why don't you just show yourself and give us the next clue."

It was a few minutes until the projectors started up and Seto formed in the air above them. He was sitting down with his arms and legs crossed. He was looking down at them and it was getting on her nerves. His cold eyes stared down at them and he gained a nasty smirk.

"Welcome to murder mansion," Seto stated, "You all searched for an exit, but didn't find one. If you don't escape this place soon, something terrible will happen."

"Why is that?" Yugi asked.

"Remember last summer when something happened near the lake outside Domino City?" Seto asked, Winter was the only one who looked confuse seeing as she hadn't been there, "One night someone slaughtered ten boy scouts and even the coroner couldn't put them back together they were in such small pieces. The killer has been nicknamed Chopper man and no one has ever found him."

"I'm not surprised anymore," Winter sighed as she fixed Seto with a glare, "You've given us so little information that the game is unfair."

"Fine, I'll give you a hint to the location of the exit, look at the wall behind you," Seto stated.

They turned around and saw four holes in the wall. Anzu put Jouji down on the floor and took a deep breath. Yugi watched as each of his friends moved towards the wall and took a number. Jounouchi was on double zero, Honda was on one, Anzu took ten, and Winter found herself in front of eleven. They waited for Seto to give them more directions.

"Inside each hole is a switch, pressing the correct switch will reveal the exit," Seto told them, "All you have to do is put a hand into the hole."

"Damn it," Jounouchi grumbled as they each put a hand in a hole.

Something clamped around their wrists and the four let out varying cries of surprise. Yugi let out a sound of surprise when he noticed the predicament that his friends were in. A guillotine appeared above their hands and the sound of a clock ticking filled the room. Seto let out a laugh.

"The game has begun," Seto stated, "There are four switches but only one is correct, if you press the wrong one that blade will chop off your right hands and if you don't press one in five minutes the blade will drop anyway. You only have one chance and the clue is hidden in this room."

The projectors turned off and they were left with the sound of the clock ticking and the blade inching down towards the four's hands. The four were murmuring amongst themselves to figure out what the puzzle was about, it was an obvious puzzle when one thought about it. Yugi dug around his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. His amethyst eyes looked at it for a few seconds before looking back towards the blade that was getting even closer. He was starting to sweat when the ticking of the clock started to speed up. The blade got even closer and it started to speed towards the four.

"Winter, press your button!" He exclaimed.

She slammed herself forward so that she would reach the button and pressed it. The blade stopped and the four were all released. Sighs of relief could be heard, and he joined them in that feeling. He walked up to them and noticed that they were all rubbing at their wrists.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was into bondage," Winter muttered and Jounouchi coughed at that as he choked on his own spit.

"How'd you figure out the puzzle, Yugi?" Anzu asked as she turned to the smallest of the group.

"I found this slip of paper attached to one of the suits of armor," Yugi stated as he held it up to show the English word Blood misspelled with two l's, "The letters ended up being the clue when I put them into binary, it had an extra L in it that's pointing down. The exit must be under our feet so, the answer had to be Winter's switch."

They heard something metallic moving and they turned to where Jouji was sitting on the floor. A small trapdoor had made itself known. They all seemed to gain some cheer at the sight of the exit. Jounouchi was ready to leave the murder mansion.

"Sweet!" Honda stated, "Good call, Yugi!"

"All right, let's get out of here!" Jounouchi stated as Yugi gave a bashful blush.

A loud slam sounded, and they all turned towards the trapdoor. Jouji was no where to be seen. It was like something had dragged him through the small door. They all frowned as anger showed up in all of them, even Anzu who was annoyed at the kid. He was a strange kid, but still just a kid.

"What if it was the chopper?" Yugi questioned.

"Just when we find the exit it turns out to be a murderer's hangout, damn it!" Jounouchi cursed.

"We have to go through to get out," Winter pointed out.

Jounouchi gave a sigh and was the one to slowly open the trapdoor. It let out a loud creak and it caused a shiver to go down the blonde's spine. It really didn't give the group a good feeling. Winter looked as though she was turning green, her stomach was churning like crazy. She felt as though she was going to be sick.

"We should be careful, Seto's Murderer might've set up traps," Honda stated.

It didn't help to alleviate anyone's nerves as they walked down the steps. In fact, it seemed to make it worse. Jouji let out a cry and they picked up the pace to reach the small child. They hit the end of the stairs and saw Jouji sitting on top of a barrel. No one trusted him. It was such an obvious trap.

"He wouldn't think twice about betraying us," Jounouchi stated.

That seems to get on Jouji's nerves. He turned behind him and pointed towards the group. There seemed to be someone standing behind him. It appeared like it was looming behind the small child. They were barely seen, save for the slightly glowing eyes.

"That little traitor," Honda stated.

A light appeared above Jouji and a screen showed Seto. The group wasn't even surprised anymore. He was starting to get a bit predictable. He was ridiculous and Winter had the feeling that he was always going to be ridiculous. She remembered something one of the kids in her classes back in San Diego saying something about being Extra. She was starting to think that suited Seto far too well.

"Welcome everyone," Seto stated, "Have you been enjoying Kaiba Land's Death attractions."

"Why?" Winter stated, "Why are you so upset over a goddamn card game? Did that really hurt your pride that much?"

Seto was quiet at that and everyone turned to her in surprise and Yugi heard Yami mutter his agreement in the back of his mind. He had gotten pieces back of the duel between the spirit and the former undefeated champion. The duel had been a good one, though Seto had ended up cheating halfway through the duel by drawing the Blue Eyes from his sleeve. It made them wonder if he had ever won a game without cheating before.

"I will now explain the rules," Seto stated, "You will play this game with Copper Man, in this room, only one person may enter this room. You'll never proceed if you don't win this game and you don't want to see this kid's throat slit, do you?"

"Seto, let him go," Winter stated and Seto smirked at her.

"Now, who would like to play?" Seto asked.

"I will," Jounouchi stated as he walked forwards, "That brats helped us out a few times, so as much as I dislike him it's time to pay him back."

They could hear Jouji whimpering from the way that he was being held by the murderer. Jounouchi stepped into the room and the other four were stuck watching him. Winter narrowed her eyes; she couldn't help but feel as though Seto had something up his sleeve. She made a face as a door slammed down and the group was forced to watch through a small window with bars. Jounouchi was muttering to himself and they couldn't really hear him over the sounds of Jouji calling for help. They did hear handcuffs being clicked together.

There was a sudden light and they all covered their eyes from the brightness of it. They blinked and were welcomed to a torture room, or rather a dungeon. No one commented on it, but Jounouchi was starting to wonder if Winter had caught onto something when she wondered if Seto was into BDSM. The number of sharp objects surrounding the blonde was worrying.

"Allow me to introduce the Chopper Man," Seto stated from the screen that was attached to the murderer.

"When can I hack up that guy?" The Chopper man asked, his voice was deep and gravely, and it sent shivers down everyone's spine.

"Wait for the start of the game," Seto informed the man before turning back to Jounouchi, "The rules are simple, as soon as the game begins each of you will choose a weapon and fight to the death. There are weapons hanging from the ceiling you can reach them by standing on that pedestal and be careful not to slip on the tar."

"Katsuya!" Winter called out to her brother, he couldn't have been anything but that to her, "Don't lose your nerve, you can get through this just use your head!"

The screen on the murderer's chest went to static and the words 'Game Start' appeared against the static. The murderer took no time in getting upon the stone pedestal that had looked like a barrel in the dark. Jounouchi frowned at that, the man didn't even need a weapon. He could harm the two with his two fists he was such a muscular guy.

"You don't even need a weapon!" He exclaimed, "Does anyone have anything pointy?"

"We'll look for one," Yugi stated, "You just try and outsmart him."

"Right," Jounouchi nodded as the man pulled down a chainsaw.

"I pick this one," The man chortled.

"You've got to be kidding me," Jouji stated and Jounouchi agreed with him.

"No, the key doesn't work as a skeleton key, sorry," Winter stated as they all turned towards her to look at the key around her neck.

Jounouchi tuned them out as he attempted to run away from the murderer with Jouji in his arms. He glared at the screen as Seto appeared on it once again. The brunette seemed to be enjoying the fact that he was in such a terrible situation. He was going to punch him the next time he saw him.

"Stop moving," The Man growled as he yanked his arm back and caused Jounouchi to slip on the black tar covering the floor.

"Damn he's strong," Jounouchi cursed.

The man let out a maniacal laugh as he swung the chainsaw downwards like it was a pickaxe. Jounouchi let out a small yelp as it managed to get stuck in the pedestal. There was a growled curse as the man attempted to free his chainsaw. Jounouchi got up to his feet and began to look around for something. He needed something that was sharp enough to pick the lock of the handcuff.

"Jounouchi," Yugi called as his sight landed on something that could be used, "Over there."

Jounouchi looked to see where Yugi was looking at and saw a candle stick. He hurried over and pulled it from the wall. It has a point that was sharp enough for him to pick the lock. He gave a grin and quickly freed himself from the handcuff and moved towards the door. He needed some help to figure out what to do next. Yugi and Winter helped him come up with an idea and he knew he had to move fast. The murderer was a strong man and it wouldn't take him long to free his weapon.

"I freed the chainsaw," The man announced as the motor of the tool started to rumble, "I'm going to chop you into little pieces."

He brought his arms back and a loud crash caused him to stop. The door had been wrenched from its hinges and Jounouchi gained a smirk at Seto's flabbergasted face. Even the murderer looked shocked.

"He unlocked the handcuff and tied them to the door with a candlestick?" Seto stated in surprise.

"I believe that is called using the enemy's strength against them," Jounouchi stated, "Thanks for opening the door."

"That's what Seto gets for underestimating my brother," Winter muttered without thinking, she had a grin on her face.

Yugi didn't want to correct her and smiled. His eyes widened when she froze in fear. The door hadn't stopped moving and continued its path towards the pedestal. The candle had still been attached to the candle holder and had fallen into the tar. The man went up in flames and Anzu was the first one to react. She quickly grabbed the taller teen's hand and pulled her towards the real exit. They waited for the others as the screams from the murderer began to bounce off the metal walls. She heard a quiet whimper and placed a hand on her back.

"Winter," Yugi called, "Let's hurry onwards."

"R-Right," Winter nodded, giving Yugi a thankful smile that he was trying to distract her from the screams.

He gave her a sweet smile in response, and they headed towards Death-T three. They found it and noted that the entrance was a stark difference from the other two. This one looked like it led to a somewhat normal game, not one of death. They all stood in front of it with wide eyes.

"This is a huge difference from the other games," Honda pointed out as they walked into the game.

The walls where a stark white and the entire room seemed to be made from cubes. There was a very quiet hum in the air that would be impossible to hear if there was a lot of noise. It was silent save for their footsteps, though the room was rather small and didn't leave much room for walking. They all turned towards the door and waited for it to close. When it did Jounouchi held his hands up and made a face. Seto was getting very predictable.

"There isn't anything that really sticks out in this room," Yugi commented, "The exit has to be around here somewhere."

"Maybe we have to travel upwards?" Anzu suggested as she looked up.

Jouji wiggled around in Jounouchi's arms and Winter took charge of the small child. There was a grin on the small kids face that Jounouchi didn't really like. He got an amused smile from Winter as she easily carried the brat around. They all sighed as they realized that nothing was going to happen.

"Nice game, really entertaining you dick!" Winter shouted in English; she had a feeling that Seto understood English.

Yugi felt his ears burn at those words. He had understood that and when she looked towards him, she blushed as she realized that he had. She scratched her cheek and turned away. Seto was bringing out the worst in her, but she couldn't help but get pissed at the slightly taller teen. He had harmed Yugi's Grandpa in a horrible game of revenge against a three-thousand-year-old spirit. Something about that was causing anger to swell up in her. She found that she didn't like the idea of someone gunning for Yami.

"I can't believe that it's all come to a dead end," Yugi stated as he started to get disheartened, "Maybe Seto has…"

"Don't give up so easily, Yugi," Jounouchi stated as he placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders.

"Right," Yugi gave a small nod, "It looks like we might be stuck here for a while."

They all decided to sit in a circle in the middle of the room. It was a small middle finger to Seto who they knew for a fact was watching them. Jouji had been taken from Winter by Anzu, who didn't really mind holding the kid anymore, and she sighed quietly. The kid had fallen asleep a minute into them sitting down. Yugi looked towards Winter as she sat Lotus style with her eyes closed. The millennium key around her neck gave a gentle glow and he wondered what she was doing, something that was shared by Yami.

He then felt something that he hadn't really felt since he made so many friends. He felt guilt and self-hatred. It was his fault that they were in this predicament. If he hadn't solved the puzzle and released the spirit, he would never had beaten Seto in a duel. He could feel the confusion from the spirit. He didn't blame the spirit; he was just someone who didn't know who they were and were trying to protect him.

"Everyone, I'm sorry," He announced causing all of them to jump, save for Jouji who was in a deep sleep, "This is all my fault, if it weren't for me you wouldn't be in this mess."

Jounouchi turned and glared at Yugi. It was a look that Winter hadn't seen on his face since they first met. Back when he was a bully and bothering Yugi. She sighed quietly and turned towards the small teen. She felt as though Jounouchi had some words that he needed to hear. Jounouchi moved forward and grabbed onto Yugi by the collar of his school uniform.

"Yugi, don't you dare waste your breath," Jounouchi growled, "Have you forgotten why we came with you in the first place? We're a team!"

"He's right, though he didn't need to get so violent," Winter stated.

"You're not a bully anymore, remember?" Honda asked in amusement.

"Right, we're no longer those useless punks we were back then," Jounouchi stated with a low chuckle, "I never liked myself at all until I met you, Yugi."

Yugi looked up at him in surprise and Jounouchi smiled. Talking like this was getting easier for the blonde as he released Yugi. He looked around at his friends and felt a small smile appear on his face before he went back to being serious. He needed to stay focused on his speech or else he might miss the mark he was trying to achieve.

"You seemed like such a dumb little kid who was too kind for your own good," He started, "At first those things made me hate you, but I didn't really hate you but myself."

"I know what you mean," Honda admitted, "I used to loiter around phone poles with any gang I could find and would pick fights, but every time I beat someone up, I was really beating myself up."

Anzu seemed surprised at such words and noticed that the two were completely serious. For once she was glad that she could see this side of them. The more serious side that wasn't constantly trying to look up her skirt. How Winter could live with Jounouchi and not hit the blonde was always a mystery to her, but she digressed.

"Yugi," Jounouchi started, "A long time ago I stole a part of your puzzle, when I returned it I thought I might embarrass myself so it took guts, but after that, for the first time in my life I began to like myself even if it was just a little bit. The fact that we were a team was what I started to like, because it meant that we were all in it together, for the first time I could feel another person's pain, isn't that what being in a team is all about?!"

There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Winter was pretty sure that there were camera's showing this to everyone that had been in the audience and that there was most likely a few people who were crying as well. She brought her hands up and put her hands in the two's hair before giving them a fond ruffle. They turned towards her in surprise.

"I'll never give up on myself or you," Jounouchi finished.

"Thank you," Yugi stated as he brought a hand up to wipe at his eyes.

"If you can't like yourself when you're alone is this game supposed to make you think over your life and hate yourself," Anzu stated, "Look at the walls they are pure white like a canvas."

"A white wall in a soul room signifies that you have yet to write anything about yourself," Winter piped up as she shared some information that she had learned, "It's a way for people who truly want a new beginning to start again and write a new chapter in their life, they write about themselves or their friends and show the journey that they took to get to the point where they are."

"I believe it's time for some magic," Anzu winked, "Everyone put your hands forward."

"Where did you even carry that marker?" Winter asked as they all did what she asked.

"A woman's secret pocket," Anzu grinned and Winter let out a laugh.

She started to giggle as the marker passed on her left hand. They all looked at their hands and noticed that together it made the pieces of a smiley face. It was a rather cute drawing. She turned towards the others and noted that they seemed slightly confused.

"Someday, we'll graduate and be separated, and we'll have painful and lonely times in our lives," Anzu stated, "These marks will remind us of being in this room together, even if I'm in New York learning dance, I'll still remember."

"Yeah," Yugi grinned as his spirits were uplifted.

"This magic ink may wash off, but it'll never disappear from our hearts," Anzu finished.

"Right," The others stated with grins.

Jounouchi couldn't help but noticed that Winter was crying, and she didn't even seem to realize it. Those scars that her old friends had left were finally healing and she was ecstatic. She brought her right hand up and attempted to get rid of the tears going down her face. She jumped when Yugi finally noticed and he gave her a hug. She hugged him back and flushed when she noticed that it had instigated a group hug around the two. A loud whooshing sound caused them to look up and they parted before a large block could crush them.

"The third Death-T game has begun!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Everyone look out," Winter warned as she noticed another one falling.

The room began to slowly fill with blocks and Winter climbed onto one of the blocks to escape one that had been falling near her. Anzu quickly followed suit with Jouji in her arms and decided that the tall teen was her best bet since she was helping to lift her onto the block. She didn't know that Winter was that strong. A gentle giant indeed.

"Anzu, do you notice anything about the way the blocks are falling?" Winter asked.

"Why do you ask?" Anzu questioned as they moved out of the way of a block.

"You're the dancer," Winter stated before her voice became slightly higher pitched as she stepped back from a block.

Anzu closed her eyes for a few seconds and listened for a rhythm. She heard one and pointed towards a spot where a block fell. Jounouchi turned towards the brunette and let out a cheer. Anzu was their trump card and could predict where the blocks were going to fall due to the rhythm.

"All right, everyone goes where I point you," Anzu stated, "We might just make it."

They did what she ordered and moved where she told them to go. After ten minutes of dodging, moving, and climbing they were a few blocks away from the exit. Yugi was falling behind and Winter hoisted Anzu up to Jounouchi before quickly climbing down to help Honda pick him up. Anzu jolted when the rhythm changed on her out of nowhere.

"Honda, look out!" She shouted in alarm.

Honda moved as fast as he could and barely escaped the block. He let out a sigh of relief as Anzu warned them that the rhythm had sped up. Winter looked at him in relief and continued to help Yugi up. She easily lifted him and gave him an apologetic smile as he turned pink as she handed him to Jounouchi. Honda went to move but paused as something dawned on him.

"Jounouchi, grab Winter," Honda ordered.

Jounouchi was confused but grasped Winter's hand and pulled her into the exit. He turned to help Honda but was confused when the brunette didn't move. His brows furrowed. He didn't get why his best friend wasn't moving.

"This is as far as I go," Honda told him and their eyes widened in horror as they noticed that his shirt and pants were caught by the block he had barely missed, "farewell everyone."

"Honda!" Winter called.

A final block slammed into place and Jounouchi went silent in disbelief. He then called out for his friend. His voice was rough as he let out his scream for his friend. Yugi could feel his anger as he glared down at the metal floor and realized that the spirit wanted out to get revenge for their fallen friend. Winter was sitting there in numb shock. She almost looked like she had stopped breathing as her mind tried to wrap around the idea that Honda might've been murdered by Seto.

"That bastard," Jounouchi growled before speaking up, "Honda, we'll go on ahead I know you can get out of this situation, we'll wait for you, you idiot!"

Yugi was barely able to talk the spirit out of his crusade and took a shaky breath. Jounouchi met his eyes and a flash of understanding passed through his eyes. He held out a hand towards the small teen and he accepted it. They turned towards Winter and noticed that she seemed out of it. Jounouchi moved towards her and put an arm around her shoulders and hoisted her to her feet.

"We need to get going," He quietly told her, "You can get back at the bastard for this."

She gave a small nod at that and he was surprised when she kept a hold of his school uniform as they all ran towards the next game. Anzu looked down at Jouji and was surprised that the kid was still asleep. He was a heavy sleeper, heavier than her own old man. It was weird. As they neared the exit, they heard the audience. Yugi wondered if that meant that the crowd had followed them on their journey upwards. Knowing Seto that was most likely what had happened.

They went through the doorway and came across a giant battlefield. Winter looked up and noted that it reminded her of the capsule monster's board that Mokuba had used during his fight against Yami when he had used a Gashapon machine to get monsters. She looked across the walkway that was suspended above the board and saw the child in question. He was grinning evilly, but she noticed that there was a sad glint in his eyes.

"Welcome to my stage," Mokuba announced, "Yugi."

"Mokimon," Winter softly murmured, "He seems sad."

"What makes you say that?" Jounouchi asked.

She gave a small shrug since she didn't really have a good response. She couldn't say that she was somehow getting a reading on his emotions with the key. It was throbbing, and she could feel it through the thin fabric of her shirt. She was worried. She didn't know why it was throbbing. She didn't know enough about the ancient artifact to give a good guess.

"It's time for us to go head-to-head," Mokuba stated, "Enter the battle box alone."

"I want to do this alone," Yugi stated as Yami gave him a silent agreement, "Besides, we're a team remember, I'm not actually alone."

He held up his right hand and the mark on the back of his hand made them all smile. They nodded and he began to walk forward. He wasn't going to be a coward and let the others take the fall for him. The spirit felt proud of him, but also guilty. He knew why and he agreed to switch. Yami felt guilty since he had instigated the problems with the two Kaiba's. Yugi closed his eyes and when he opened them, they were a brilliant crimson.

"Did Yugi just…" Anzu trailed off.

"Oh right," Jounouchi muttered before quickly explaining to Anzu.

"Yami," Winter gently called, and the spirit turned around, "Good luck."

He blinked in slight surprise before smiling and giving a curt nod. She gained a small blush and relaxed slightly. He moved across the beam as Anzu stared at the back of the spirit who was possessing her friends' body. It was a weird thing to think about, but she felt as though she had run into the spirit before. She would think she'd remember her friend seemingly growing taller. No, she shook her head, he hadn't grown taller but stood up straighter. He reached the box and went in.

"At last, you've reached Death-T four, congrats," Mokuba stated.

"I see you are still the same brat as before," Yami stated, his baritone surprising Anzu.

She then knew where she had heard that voice. Back at burger world when the criminal had decided to take her female friend hostage. The spirit of the puzzle had jumped in to save her. She wondered if the spirit liked Winter, or at least thought of her as a good friend.

"So, it's the other Yugi," Mokuba commented, "Good to see you. I'll give you a hint as to what the next game is, it has something to do with our own Hime."

"What are you getting at?" Yami questioned as he glared at the youngest Kaiba brother.

"Seto is on the sixth level, on level five is someone who knows our Hime," Mokuba stated, "But I doubt that you'll get to that stage since this is the stage where you and your friends die."

Yami heard his friends letting out sounds of surprise and turned to see that they had guns pointed at them. He felt himself getting angry at the very familiar sight of Winter in trouble. She was making a face as well; the irony of the situation was not lost on her. She met his eyes and gave him a soft smile that calmed him down just the slightest.

"Just kick his butt!" Jounouchi called with a grin and Yami gave a nod.

"Now let the games begin!" Mokuba stated, "The game of Death-T four is Capsule Monster Chess, the virtual reality version. As we battle on this game board the game will be reproduced in the huge field underneath us, in virtual reality."

Yami was out of his depth as he looked down at the virtual field. He knew he was out of his depth, but he was a quick learner when it came to games. He needed to get used to some of his hosts technology. It didn't seem right to him that everything was incredibly out of the realm of fiction for him.

"I'll show you a little demonstration," Mokuba stated as he held up a level five capsule, "Check this out, this is one of my pieces and here's one of yours, weak just like you! Now they'll do battle."

He placed the pieces down and as soon as they hit the board, they appeared below the two players with the names and levels floating above them. Hyumoko was Yami's monster and the level one really didn't stand a chance against the demon turtle that was the level five Armorzaurus. Armorzaurus let out a mighty roar and Hyumoko let out a small screech.

"Now they will battle," Mokuba stated and Armorzaurus easily turned Hyumoko into dust, "Your weak little monster was slaughtered, of course the loser will receive a penalty game called the sensation of death."

"Sensation…of…death?" Winter muttered, "That explains a lot."

That was the penalty game that Yami had used against Seto when he won against him in their duel. The duel did more than harm Seto's pride, it hurt his state of mind. He was fixated on the fact that he had lost, and his mind wouldn't let go of the penalty he had suffered. She couldn't blame him for that, Ushio was just now being let out of the psychiatric ward that he had been placed in. Souzouji still hadn't regained his voice yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"You need to come with us," A guard stated as he grabbed onto Winter's arm, "You are needed on the next level."

She was confused but complied with them as they held their guns towards Anzu and Jounouchi's heads. A glare made itself known on her face as she walked behind them. Jounouchi cursed, but there wasn't much he could do. He turned his attention towards Yami's game and ignored the gun that was pressed against the back of his head.

Winter was quiet as she stepped into the elevator. The guard that had a hold of her arm squeezed it slightly. They had her friends and thought she was going to run and possibly get one of them shot? They really must've thought she was stupid. She felt a pounding behind her eyes and closed them slightly. When she opened them, it was to the sound of the elevator giving a loud ding. She was harshly dragged out of the doors and she glared towards the man before he pushed her forward.

"Winter!" She turned at the sound of Sachiko calling her and was brought into an embrace by the slightly smaller woman.

"Auntie," She quietly stated before burying her face into the older woman's shoulder, "Why are you here?"

"To help you get ready for the game," Sachiko stated with a sad expression on her face.

Winter noticed the guards with all the guns and gave a soft sigh before allowing the older woman to hand her a uniform. It was like the first game that was a first-person shooter, this one was like a bomb defuse simulator that she used to play back when she went to summer camp. She put it on, and the bulky material was far too constricting for her liking. She took in a deep breath and decided that she was going to do this for Honda and Yugi's Grandfather. She was going to stand up for her friends. She put her hands into one of the pockets of the uniform and felt something in plastic brush against her fingers. She brought it out and noted that it was her Dark Magician who looked worried. She gave a soft sigh and gave him a small smile before placing the card back in her pocket. She began to walk towards the field that would be the scene of her fight.

"Winter!" She heard her named called and turned to see Yami standing there.

She gave him a small smile before turning to see who her opponent was. She paused upon seeing her father. The man had cold green eyes and slicked back tan colored hair. Yami watched as she froze slightly before continuing her walk towards field that contained her game. He could feel his host's heart thumping wildly as she entered the arena.

"Hello, daughter," Her father greeted.

He could see the similarities between the two. The way her cheeks were shallow came from him and her height and build. He wondered what her mother had looked like and what she had gotten from the woman. The dark hair came from her side of the family and possibly the eye color.

"Hello," Winter greeted back, her voice like ice.

Her eyes were hard like gold and staring at her father with barely concealed hatred. They both looked up towards the screens overhead as Seto appeared on them. He looked like he had been waiting for this game while he awaited Yami on the next level. Her eyes gained the infamous flecks of crimson as she glared up at the brunette.

"This is Death-T five," Seto announced, "The rule of the game is like minesweeper, if you hit a bomb you lose."

"That's too simple," Yami muttered and Yugi had to agree with him.

Jounouchi and Anzu were led up to the stage by the guards behind them and became worried the moment they saw their friend down in the arena. She didn't look confident, but she looked pissed. Jounouchi gave her a silent prayer to any god that would listen to him. She was going to need to help to make it through a discount minesweeper against her father.

"Game start," Seto announced, "I should warn you that you have a time limit before the bombs start going off, those who make it to the exit are winners."

Winter didn't even doubt that sabotage was allowed. It made sense as to why he had hired her dad for this. The man was in a bomb squad and knew how to find bombs and dismantle them, or at least stop them from detonating. She quickly headed out of her area and moved through the tunnels that would eventually lead her to the exit. She closed her eyes and walked with her gut feeling. She heard something heading towards her and stepped back. She opened her eyes to see a pendulum swing past her. If that had hit her, she would have died. She remembered the body of the Dark Magician that had been in the museum and realized that something like that must've happened. She felt bad for him but knew he really wouldn't have wanted her pity.

She cleared her mind of thought and continued forward and took a right. It appeared her father decided to do nothing but sabotage her. The way she had wanted to go was blocked off and she was forced to go another way, but then that was blocked off. She let out a huff. She wasn't going to win this game without some form of sacrifice. She closed her eyes before looking up towards Yami. His eyes widened as she gave him an apologetic smile.

A loud buzzer sound rang through the area and the screens showed that her father had made it through the maze. Winter closed her eyes and stood in her spot. She could hear the ticking around her and knew that it was highly unlikely that she was going to make it out without some form of injury. Even if she were to rush towards the exit, she wouldn't have made it.

The first bomb went off behind her and she was thrown from her feet and sent tumbling forward. Anzu and Jounouchi watched in horror as the other bombs went off. Yami froze in place and stared at the dark clouds that covered the arena. He felt as though a pit had appeared in his stomach as a scarred hand appeared at the exit and was followed by an arm. Her uniform was ruined, and she was holding her right arm tight against her body, but she was alive. Bruised, injured, and bleeding from her nose and several other cuts that littered her body. All that was important to him was that she was alive. She stood to her feet with a big wince and the crowd went ballistic.

"Yugi," He heard her call his hosts name, and he made sure to meet her eyes, "You better win against Seto, I believe in you."

She gave him a final grin before teetering on her feet and slamming into the ground. He clenched his fist as Sachiko ran out towards the arena to check on her. He could see how upset the older woman was as she held her niece close and glared at the man that dared to call himself a father. He turned his attention towards the elevator and walked to it, she had technically passed, and he was free to go to the final battle between him and Seto. He was going to get payback for all the pain that Seto had caused. The elevator ride was a quick one.

"This is Death-T six," Seto stated as the doors to the elevator opened, "This is our fight in a domed arena. Welcome to the final stage, Yugi."

"Kaiba," Yami stated, not even giving Seto the right to have his actual name used.

He hurried into the dome and took a seat at the table prepared for the duel. Seto took a seat across from him and he allowed his glare to settle on the taller teen. He thought back to the smile that Winter had given him before the bombs had gone off, and he allowed his anger to grow. He was going to destroy the smug teen.

"Let us get on with deciding our fates," Seto stated as he brought out his deck from his steel briefcase, "Show me your cards."

"Here," Yami stated as he pulled out Grandpa's cards.

They shuffled their decks before sliding it across the table and cutting them. It was an even cut so that even if Seto had attempted to cheat by putting one of his Blue Eyes on the top it would now be in the middle. He had time to get a few monsters out and take down Seto's life points. Even if there were three of the same monster card in his deck, he believed in Grandpa's cards.

"Our duel monsters duel begins," Seto announced.

They drew five cards from their deck and studied their hands. A counter appeared above the dome that showed the dueler and the amount of life points they each had. Since it was the beginning, they both had two thousand and Yami was going to make sure that Seto ended up with zero within a few turns. He narrowed his eyes as he placed down a card to attack.

"I play Winged dragon guardian of the fortress and attack," Yami announced.'

"I'll accept that challenge," Seto smirked and placed down Cyclops.

It was two four-star monsters against each other. It was fourteen hundred attack points against twelve hundred. Yami couldn't help but remember Winter stating that the Cyclops card was going to end up being rare since it was going to be renamed the Hitotsu-me Giant. He shook his head of such thoughts as he knew for a fact that she said several cards were going to change from the original names and art to new versions that might change as well.

"You lose two hundred life points, Kaiba," Yami informed the brunette.

"It didn't even hurt," Seto stated with a smirk, "My turn to draw a card. Every time I draw a card, I can hear your heart race, when I pull the blue eyes white dragon you'll be as good as dead."

Yami already knew that. He wanted to know what card had been drawn. He needed to know if he had to defend or attack this turn. He needed to know if he needed to place a trap or spell card down. He wanted to be prepared and Seto's theatrics were not what he needed or wanted.

"I drew the card Degenerating worm beast," Seto announced, "It beats your winged dragon guardian of the fortress in both level and attack points, so it's time for battle."

"Fine with me," Yami announced.

"Worm beats attacks with a poison spray which will melt the enemy's body," Seto stated.

"My dragon has a special ability aviation which gives it a thirty five percent chance of dodging the attack," Yami stated and his dragon did so, "Now my dragon attacks."

Seto's card was destroyed, but he didn't lose any life points due to the same attack. It was a rule that made no sense that the creator had been thinking of changing due to complaints. Seto pulled his next card and placed it on the table in defense position. Yami took his turn and placed the monster he had just drawn in defense mode. Seto gave out a derisive sounding laugh.

"Even if I don't draw the blue eyes, I can still beat you," Seto stated, "And I'll prove it, my wall monster goes into attack mode."

"Sagi the Dark Clown?" Yami muttered.

"Right now, it's attack points are too low, so I play the magic card dark energy and triple it's attack points," Seto stated, "And now I attack your dragon."

Yami lost four hundred life points due to the added attack points and he looked at the spot where his monster had been. It was gone within a plum of white smoke. He glared at Seto and went to draw another card for the beginning of his turn and got the card Right leg of the sealed one and inwardly cursed. It was too weak of a card and he was forced on the defensive.

"I play a monster in defense mode," Yami stated.

"I'll crush them one-by-one," Seto informed him in a malicious glee that didn't settle very well with him.

Seto did that and Yami watched as he lost two hundred life points. Even though he was on the defensive he lost two hundred due to one of his cards being two hundred points lower than Sagi's. It was part of the rules that made absolutely no sense. He couldn't help but send a glare towards the crowd as they cheered on Seto. He couldn't help but feel as though he was losing his nerve in the duel.

"I am disappointed in you, Yugi," Seto stated, "I might not even get to use the Blue Eyes. I guess using the deck that the half-dead old man left behind wasn't such a good idea, I can hear the cards gasping and trying not to die."

Yami clenched his jaw at those words. They set his anger ablaze and he looked down towards the deck. He could feel Grandpa's soul in the cards due to his puzzle. He knew he had the old man's trust and was going to make sure he won and saved him. He was going to get revenge and he trusted in the cards.

"Kaiba, do you believe in your cards?" Yami asked and Seto gave him a confused look, "I believe in these cards."

He drew a card and closed his eyes. His faith had been repaid by a strong card. Grandpa had made sure to place good cards within the deck that would work with just about any rule. He turned the card and Seto jolted slightly. It was Gaia the Fierce Knight, one of the strongest Knight class monsters that was currently on the market. He placed it in attack mode.

"I attack your Dark Clown," Yami stated.

Sagi was destroyed and Seto's life points traveled all the way down until they were thirteen hundred, one hundred below Yami's. Jounouchi couldn't believe he was going to think it, but he needed Yami to believe in the cards. It seemed to work for him, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the puzzle around his neck. The magic from such an item could surely work in his favor.

"A trump card," Seto stated.

"You still don't get it and you won't until the end," Yami sighed.

"Don't give yourself airs, the end is already decided," Seto stated, "My turn."

He drew his card and the grin that appeared on his face was enough to tell Yami what he had drawn. He knew that if he were to play poker against the brunette, he would most likely win. His poker face was horrible. He wondered when he started to think like Winter. It wasn't something he did very often.

"I drew the blue eyes white dragon," Seto stated.

"I know," Yami muttered in unison with Anzu and Jounouchi.

"Too bad your trump card was worth nothing in the end," Seto stated as the dragon loomed over his knight, "I attack your knight, and we both know that I still have two more blue eyes in my deck, you're finished."

Yami's life points dropped to seven hundred and he began to panic. He drew a card and was forced to defend with an Imp card. He watched as that was destroyed, and he ignored the ranting of Seto as he told him that he needed to be able to attack since he couldn't keep using defense to protect his life points. He knew that. Even as he placed another monster in defense position to stay safe for a turn. It was destroyed as well and Yami inwardly cursed alongside his host as Seto laid down his second Blue Eyes. He was starting to feel like giving up was an option. He remembered all who had been hurt by Seto and shook the thought of giving up out of his mind. He had to fight for them. He drew a card and was welcomed to a break in his defense.

"I play the magic card Immobilizing swords of light," Yami announced.

Swords of light slashed through the holograms of the blue eyes and Seto glared at Yami. He was trapped for the next three turns. He seemed to be angry over that and Yami wanted to roll his eyes at the way the brunette was acting. He wasn't having any of Seto's childish tantrum.

"That's foul play," Seto stated, "All you are doing is delaying the inevitable, what can you possibly do in three turns?"

Seto drew a card and placed a monster in attack position. Yami looked at the one monster that he knew could last against the monster that had just been placed down and then looked at the other's in his hand. They seemed useless, until he heard the words that had been spoken to his host by his Grandfather. Exodia! He had the card Exodia in his deck! All he had to do is gather all the parts and play Exodia. He had to trust in his deck to be able to draw it. He drew his next card and welcomed to the fourth part. Seto noted the way that Yami's expression changed to one of hope and inwardly sneered. There was no way that he had a card that could defeat the Blue eyes. Even as his monster the Judge Man sliced through Beaver Warrior. Yami blinked in surprise as the card he was about to draw gained a golden hue before he picked it up.

The Dark Magician was the card he had drawn, and he stared at the expression on the cards face. Dark Magician looked…pissed. He blinked and noted that the expression was different and seemed to stay that way. He played the Dark Magician and had it destroy Seto's Judge Man which brought the brunette down to a thousand life points. He looked towards the hologram of the Dark Magician and noted the way that it glared at Seto.

He gained a shocked expression as the last Blue eyes was brought out and Dark Magician was destroyed. He was down to two hundred life points, but he wasn't going to give up. Even as Seto told him to draw his 'last pathetic card'. He felt as though he was back to panicking once again. He knew the chances of him drawing the final piece of Exodia was low. He went to draw his card but was surprised to see the deck move away from him. He then figured it wasn't running from him, he was running from it. He was…scared to draw the next card. It was then that he looked at his hand and noticed the mark on his skin. He could almost see his friends with their hands above the deck. Winter was giving him a sweet smile and he felt a smile appear on his face at that thought.

The thought of his friends helped to chase away his fear of drawing the card and placed his hand down upon the next card. He picked it up and somehow knew that he had the final piece. His friends and Grandpa had come through for him. He steeled his expression at Seto and noted that the brunette was raising a brow in thought to figure out what was going through his mind.

"I drew Exodia the sealed one," Yami announced as he placed all the pieces down and formed the monster.

"I-Impossible!" Seto exclaimed.

Yami glared as he announced his attack, Exodia looming above him seemingly happy to do his bidding. He attacked and the beam from Exodia defeated all three of the Blue Eyes. Seto turned and watched the three dragons disappear into the plum of white smoke. He was having trouble forming words due to his shock. His life points dropped to zero and he stared at Yami.

"Of course, the Blue eyes could destroy one lone piece of Exodia, however even though each individual part is weak when united they form an invincible whole," Yami informed Seto, "I win, Kaiba and now you must face a penalty game an instant of atonement Kaiba. The penalty game of a mind crush!"

Seto had frozen in place as his mind shattered and was stuck staring into space. His bodyguards were still threatening Jounouchi and Anzu but were quickly taken down by the team of Honda and Jounouchi. They managed to take both down with ease. One still got up and was ready to shoot Jounouchi when a sudden voice stopped him.

"That's enough," Mokuba ordered and the man stepped back from the teenagers, "The games over."

"Is that kid Kaiba's little brother?" Honda asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that brat is Mokuba Kaiba," Jounouchi confirmed.

"That brat saved my life and called an ambulance for Winter," Honda stated, "I was trapped in that room for a while but then this kid opened the exit for me."

"I was paying off my debt to Yugi," Mokuba stated as he looked to the side with a slight blush.

"Yugi," The group announced as Yami walked up to them.

They all gave him pats on the back and told him he did a good job. He smiled back at them and was ready to switch with his host who decided to let him have his time in the spotlight. Honda gave the spirit a grin and thumbs up already knowing who was really in control. They were all just calling the spirit Yugi while in the presence of the Kaiba brothers.

"Everyone, you came to my rescue," Yami stated, "Thank you."

"Yeah," They all nodded with a grin.

"Mokuba-kun," Anzu stopped the smallest Kaiba, "Why did Seto want revenge this badly?"

Mokuba reluctantly told them the story of how his brother and he were orphans five years apart. He wasn't unhappy, but one day Gozaburou Kaiba came in looking for a boy to adopt and Seto had challenged him to a game of chess and won. Seto had been forced to study relentlessly and never had anytime to see his brother. Eventually his brother took over the company and Gozaburou jumped to his death. Mokuba couldn't help but miss the brother that had smiled at him back in the orphanage.

"Right now, Kaiba is somewhere in the dark gathering the shattered pieces of his heart," Yami informed the youngest Kaiba who was ultimately confused by those words, "Piece by piece he will put his heart back together again and this time he'll have to rely on himself to do it right."

Mokuba smiled at that and the group took their leave as Sachiko called Jounouchi and informed him of what was going on at the hospital. They all decided to head to the hospital to see Yugi's Grandfather and Winter. Yami finally switched back with his host and decided to get some form of sleep. He could always talk to Winter the next time he saw her. She was most likely asleep.

"Sachiko, how is she?" Jounouchi asked as Yugi's Grandfather and Sachiko greeted them.

The older man was in a wheelchair and was being pushed around by Sachiko. Sachiko looked tired, but relieved to see the others were okay. She brought Jounouchi into a hug and the blonde turned a bright red in slight embarrassment. Yugi hugged his Grandfather to lesson his friend's embarrassment, he had also been highly worried.

"She broke her right arm, her nose, and her left leg," Sachiko stated, "She got lucky that she wasn't covered in burns and only minor cuts."

"Can we visit her?" Anzu asked in a polite tone.

"Yes, she should be awake by now, though be warned they had to put her on pain medication," Sachiko stated.

"She'll stop taking it as soon as she gets home," Jounouchi stated in amusement.

Sachiko finally smiled at that and everyone piled into the ravenette's hospital room. She was greeted with large smiles and she gave a tired smile back. She looked bad with her arm and leg in a cast and her left eye closed due to all the bruising on her face. Jounouchi and Honda still decided to sit next to her on the bed and she was thankful, even as Yugi took a spot on the bed. The smile on her face grew as they all sat in silence for a few moments, thankful they had survived Seto's Death-T.


	8. Chapter 8

**One of my friends gave me a lot to think about and it shows in this chapter with how it started going halfway through. I will answer some of the reviews in the next chapter, so please stay tuned for that.**

* * *

Chapter 8 _Let's Find Love?_

* * *

Winter and Jounouchi sat at the breakfast table a week after Death-T. Winter was going through her duel monster's deck with one hand as Jounouchi finished his homework. She was lucky enough that she had been given a packet with two weeks' worth of homework to work on in the hospital. She had finished it right before she was released two days ago. She put her card down and went to take a drink of her tea. She was glad that the school had changed to the summer uniform so that she wouldn't have to work a cast around the school blazer.

"Its nice to see you two having such a meaningful conversation," Akira commented as he joined them.

"Thanks, Jiji," Winter muttered as she put her deck down and reached for her glass of water.

He chuckled at that as Jounouchi looked up from his math sheet and giving a small smile. The blonde quickly went back to doing his homework so that he wouldn't have to worry about it. He was just glad that the amount of homework was light due to the aptitude tests that they had recently taken. Sachiko headed into the room and he made a face at the keychain that was held in her hand. It was something that had gotten popular with high school girls. It was called a Lovely Mate, well if he was remembering it correctly.

"Here, something for you to fiddle around with," Sachiko held it out to Winter.

"What exactly is it?" Winter questioned as she accepted the heart shaped device.

"It's a small gadget called a Lovely Mate," Sachiko answered, "It's a compatibility tester."

Jounouchi let out a snort and he quickly busied himself with his work as a foot swung out and hit him in the shin. He didn't mean to laugh. He knew just how much stock Winter put into 'compatibility'. She didn't believe that blood type or horoscope could tell you who you would end up with or who you could be friends with. He looked up and watched as she gave her aunt a tight-lipped smiled before inputting her information. Sachiko went towards the fridge and grabbed herself a cup of tea before walking towards the laundry room.

"Wait, you were born on valentines' day?" Jounouchi asked in amusement as he read her information over her shoulder.

"Not a word," Winter muttered as she felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment.

She hated when people made fun of her birthday. It was worse when she was still going to elementary school. Everyone had been forced to bring valentines for everyone and, surprisingly, there had been a year where she hadn't gotten any. She wasn't the biggest fan of the holiday and didn't want to think about it.

"You two ready to go?" Akira asked as he got up from the table, "Sachiko is trying to get housework done today so she has booted me from the house."

"Are you going to go and relax at a bingo hall, Jiji?" Winter asked.

"Yes," Akira nodded.

Jounouchi grinned at that and grabbed their school bags. He handed Winter her's and she placed her deck into it before slinging it over her shoulder. He was then welcomed to the sight of her walking with a single crutch and an arm in a cast being held up by a sling. He followed and they headed into the van. Akira was only dropping them off at the school and picking them up later. They wouldn't be stopping for Yugi and that caused a sad expression to play on Winter's face.

She perked up as they stopped outside the school and saw Anzu, Yugi, and Honda waiting. Jounouchi got out of the van first and walked around to her side. She sent him a slightly annoyed look, but still accepted the help. She knew he wasn't doing it to tell her she was helpless. Anzu sighed in relief at the sight of the taller teen and noticed the dark circles under her eyes.

"Winter," the three called and she gave them all a small smile.

"Hey, long time no see," She grinned, and they all seemed to breath a sigh of relief that she was mentally okay.

"How are you feeling?" Anzu asked her.

"Okay," She replied with a small shrug as they slowly made their way into the school.

The shoe exchange was quick, and they all headed up to the classroom. Winter placed her bag at her desk with the others before heading down into the hallway to see what the aptitude results were going to be. The school day was going to be a half day due to students getting their test results and turning in their homework. Jounouchi cleared a pathway so that they could all see their scores. Anzu and Winter scoured the boards before noticing where they were.

"Congrats on first place," Anzu told Winter with a grin.

"T-Thank you," Winter smiled slightly before staring at her name that was under the number one.

It was the first test she had studied hard for and a smile appeared on her face. She couldn't believe that she had gotten the highest score. Yugi walked up to the two before he and the other guys started their game of bingo. He blinked in surprise before giving the taller teen a grin. She turned a deep pink and scratched the back of her head with her good hand.

"Yugi, Honda," Jounouchi stated as he held up a bingo card, "We'll finally settle this game!"

"Right, lets start the aptitude test rankings bingo game!" Yugi announced.

They started scribbling and Anzu felt her eye twitch at how ridiculous they were. Winter let out a chuckle at the three that turned into genuine laughter. They were ridiculous, but it was something that she had missed while she was in the hospital. That had been a tedious week.

"These guys," Anzu muttered before noticing something sticking out of Winter's pocket, "Is that one of the Lovely Mates?"

"Yeah, my aunt thought that I would get a kick out of it," Winter stated, "I'm not really into this whole horoscope business."

"Can I see your information?" Anzu asked in genuine curiosity.

"Sure," Winter shrugged and handed over the heart shaped gadget.

Anzu looked at the information and her eyebrows shot up. She made a mental note to keep an eye out for February fourteenth, she wanted to be sure that her friend had a good birthday. Yugi let out a cheer as he won the game and Jounouchi gave a curse. She couldn't help but think that Jounouchi should've known better than to play a game against Yugi. He usually won in whatever game he played.

"Nicely done," Winter smiled at Yugi as Anzu handed back the heart shaped gadget.

"Jounouchi came in third place so he gets to buy the hamburgers," Yugi stated with a small smile.

"Yeah, I lost fair and square," Jounouchi stated.

"I don't think Yugi can be beaten in any game," Honda stated with a slight grin.

"I agree with that," Winter stated with a smile as she ruffled Yugi's hair.

He blushed at that and smiled. She reached down and took a hold of her crutch and blinked when the millennium key warmed up against her skin. She had finally decided to keep it under her clothes. It was an ancient artifact and she had a feeling that there would be people in the future who would try to take it from her with force. A shiver went down her spine at that thought.

"You boys are pretty happy," A voice stated, and they all looked behind them to see a man with thick eyebrows that were far darker than his blonde hair, "Grade announcement if pretty fun, huh?"

"Oh no, guidance counselor Tsuruoka!" Honda hissed.

"Not good," Yugi muttered.

"While you were playing, did you even notice your own scores?" Tsuruoka questioned before fixing the three boys with a nasty smirk, "Jounouchi Katsuya is number two hundred and one, Mutou Yugi is number one hundred and five, and Honda Hiroto is number one hundred and twenty. Where is your frivolous laughter now? You three are the kings of the idiots!"

"What a dick," Winter muttered in English and Yugi gave a nod as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

Tsuruoka noticed the way the two gave him dirty looks and he narrowed his eyes. He hadn't had Winter in his office yet, but he was dreading the day he would have to talk to her. He remembered the reports of her actions in class, how she would ignore the lecture and instead draw. Her teachers had stopped complaining about it as soon as she took her first test and showed that she did study for their classes. He sneered slightly before noticing something in the pocket of Yugi's shirt.

"Just what are you carrying in your shirt?" He questioned.

He plucked it out of the small pocket and made a face at the heart shaped device. Winter blinked in surprise before looking towards Anzu. The brunette gave a sheepish chuckle and winked at the taller girl. She was rewarded with a slight blush as she understood the implications.

"You _actually_ brought this game to school?" He stated in disbelief.

"Please give that back," Yugi stated.

"Hey, give it back to him," Jounouchi stated.

"Being a teacher doesn't give you the right to take our things," Honda added.

"Worthless, back-talking failures like you three will never have any rights!" Tsuruoka sneered.

"Who the hell are you calling worthless?" Winter asked as she felt angered on their behalf.

All eyes turned towards her and she ignored the sudden nervousness that rose up in her. She wasn't the biggest fan of being in the spotlight, but she would face it for her friends. Tsuruoka's sneer increased as he looked towards her. He couldn't believe the top student was as worthless as the three boys.

"We educators can do anything to you dropouts," He informed them, "And be forgiven later, I can even crush this thing."

The lovely mate was tossed to the ground and he brought his foot up. Yami gave Yugi a quick nudge and the two switched places. Like hell he was going to let his friends be insulted by such a sham of a teacher. Winter looked towards him and he gave her the smallest of smiles before glaring up at the teacher.

"We have worth, we have worth that you can never dream of," Yami stated, "For an example I have never lost at games."

Jounouchi made a face at that and remembered the times that Yugi and Winter played games against each other. They had an equal amount of losses and wins. He was finding that the spirit had made such a bold statement without remembering that fact. He sent a look towards Winter who gave him a small smile and mouthed 'shadow game'. It then made sense to him.

"All right then, play a game against me," Tsuruoka challenged, "The rules are simple, I'll hide this keychain somewhere in the school! If you can find it within an hour you win, and you can have it back."

"We accept," Jounouchi smirked.

"You'll regret challenging Yugi," Honda added as he gave a grin.

"But if you can't find it, you three will be suspended and I'll smash this keychain," Tsuruoka stated, "The game starts in thirty minutes, I'll go and hide this, in the meantime don't move."

He walked away and the group of friends glared at his back as they moved to stand together. Yami closed his eyes for a few seconds as he begun to think about where the teacher could be hiding the small gadget. He frowned as he came up with multiple areas that would be easy to check with his friends helping. His eyes moved towards Winter and she gave him a tired smile. His host gave a concerned sound and he moved towards her.

"Are you feeling all right?" He asked her.

"Just a bit tired," she admitted, "I don't want to worry anyone."

He never did get payback at her father for doing what he did to her. If he ever saw the man again, he would challenge him to a shadow game, something that was oddly shared by his host. His host was someone who was far more forgiving than the normal person, but it was something that endeared others to him. The fact that even he wanted to give the man a shadow game really said something.

"An hour doesn't really give you a lot of time to look for something that small," Winter muttered as she tapped a finger against her chin.

Anzu gave her a pointed look and she tilted her head in confusion. She narrowed her blue eyes towards one of her pockets. Winter felt her face heat up and she looked at her only female friend in slight dismay. She would've been acting the same way if it had been Yugi. She couldn't help it; such a girly thing was embarrassing. Eventually, Anzu got her to crack and she dug in her pocket for the small keychain and held it in her hand.

"Here, my aunt gave me one this morning," Winter stated as she held it out to Yami, "It might be able to help you find yours."

"It might," Yami nodded as he accepted the game, "I can win the game with this."

She gave him a small nod at that and moved to stand with Anzu. It would be easier to move around when there was someone else with her. She couldn't wait until her leg was healed up. She bit her lip slightly, apparently the break in her leg wasn't as bad as the one in her arm. That made her somewhat happy that her leg would heal up before her arm.

Thirty minutes passed and the game started. Yami made sure to check the areas that would be obvious before moving towards the areas that were a bit more uncommon. He was sure that one of the teacher's shot him a glare as he exited the classroom after searching the entire room. A sudden thought came to him and he started to head towards the counseling office. He opened the door in a calm manner and the blonde teacher sat up with a glare on his face.

"You idiots, how dare you assume that you can barge into a teacher's office?" Tsuruoka stated, "Your search game stays out there."

"well, you just confirmed my suspicions that the keychain is inside this office," Yami stated.

"Impossible," Tsuruoka informed him, "I hid it where you can't get to it, it's somewhere else."

"Can't get to it or can't touch it," Yami corrected, "The only place a student can't find it would be in a teacher's only place. The safest place would be keeping it on your person!"

"If you lay your hands on me, I'll expel you!" Tsuruoka growled, "You'll have to prove it without touching me."

Yami looked towards the device in his hand and pressed the two buttons. It was quiet for a few seconds and Winter gave a small shrug before a beeping began to sound. Anzu blinked in surprise and sent her shell-shocked friend a grin as her face began to turn a deep red. Yugi's device was connected to _his_ information and not Yami's. She couldn't help but wonder if it would even be the same information.

"The sound's coming from inside his head," Jounouchi stated.

"It must be the keychain," Honda stated.

"Let's get it, Honda!" Jounouchi yelled before tacking the teacher.

The remaining three blinked in surprise at their actions. There was a bit of a scuffle and there was a slight pop and Tsuruoka was suddenly bald. A sharp laugh came from Winter before she gave a slight cough. She hadn't expected him to be bald, the laughter had just come out. Jounouchi picked up the keychain from the hair piece and handed it over to Yami. Yami accepted it with a smile and handed Winter her's back. She pocketed it with a quick nod and the bell rang. Their entire day had been nothing but a game, and no one could be upset about that. They all laughed as they headed back to the classroom to get their school bags and to turn in their homework.

"So, which burger place are we going to?" Anzu questioned.

"The calorie burger near my place," Yugi smiled.

"I can't go," Winter quietly announced, she caught sight of her Grandpa, "My Aunt want's me to stay at home for a while until my legs all healed up, sorry everyone."

"It's all right," Yugi stated, he sounded a little crestfallen.

He was surprised when she bent down and gave him a small hug before waving to everyone else and heading towards the family van. Jounouchi looked worried as she easily got into the car and smiled at her grandfather. The group watched as she drove away and Jounouchi gave a soft sigh. He could tell that she was in a lot of pain and was just putting on a brave face for everyone. He turned towards the others and they headed out towards the calorie burger. There was a small conversation and Anzu was welcomed to a thoughtful Yugi. He looked down at the heart shaped game before turning a light pink and putting it into his pocket.

Jounouchi came home with a tag along by the name of Yugi. His shorter friend was really worried about Winter and he didn't mind showing the small boy where they lived. He spared the fruit trees a small glance and noted that they were doing good. He felt a sense of accomplishment at having kept the trees alive for as long as he had. The moment they walked in Sachiko appeared.

"Welcome home, Katsuya," Sachiko greeted with a motherly smile, "Hello again, Yugi-kun."

"Hello, Akahoshi-san," Yugi greeted with a shy smile.

"Winter's up in her room," Sachiko informed him with a small smile.

Yugi gave a small nod at that and the two boys took off their shoes and pulled on a pair of house slippers. Jounouchi motioned towards the stairs with his head and Yugi quickly headed up them. It didn't take him long to find Winter's room. It had light streaming from it and when he peeked inside of it, he found something that screamed her. A cream rug was in the middle of a dark wood floor with dark furniture. He easily found Winter, who was sitting in front of a window bent over a piece of paper with her pencil gliding across it. She sat up slightly and tapped the end of her pencil against her chin.

"Winter," Yugi softly called.

She jumped in slight surprise and let out a slight hiss of pain before turning towards Yugi with the smallest of smiles. She beckoned him into her room, and he shuffled in. It was warm in her room and he wondered if she liked it warm. She put down her pencil before turning in her office chair.

"What's up?" She asked him in English.

"A-Are you really feeling okay?" He asked with a slight blush.

She looked at him in surprise and looked down at her free hand. She was in pain at night, but during the day she felt fine. She really didn't want to worry any one with that piece of information. Yugi noted the way she was stalling and walked up to her, if the spirit of his puzzle could get her to speak her real feelings so could he. He moved to where he was in her line of sight. She tried to look anywhere but him but found it impossible. His wide eyes were soul searching at best.

"I feel fine during the day," She admitted, "But I hurt at night, don't worry about it."

He made a face at those words. It was hard for him to not worry about her. She was blushing from embarrassment and attempted to look away from him. She didn't like admitting things like that out loud. Her mother would always baby her, and her father would ignore her feelings in favor of her brothers. She tried to ignore that fact, it didn't do good to dwell on the past. Her mother's words, not hers. Just shows how well she followed them.

"If there's anything ever bothering you, you can tell us," Yugi informed her, "That's what friends are for."

She was quiet for a few seconds. Yugi jumped slightly when she suddenly hugged him. His face heated up as he hugged her back. He couldn't see her face, but he could feel the heat coming from her cheeks. He knew that hearing those words meant a lot to her and she was trying to convey it.

"Thank you, Yugi," She softly stated as she turned her head to look at him.

"Y-Yeah," He smiled the spirit asked for a switch and he blinked in surprise and allowed it.

Yami turned his head to speak just as she was about to kiss his cheek as thanks. The two turned a bright red and slightly moved apart. She was holding a hand to her mouth with wide eyes, he had a slightly dazed smile on his face as she couldn't help but smile at that. Yugi was speechless in his soul room and felt his face heat up. What he wouldn't give to be in the spirits shoes. Yami happily obliged and they met up in the area between soul rooms. There seemed to have been a silent look of understanding between the two and they shook hands. Yugi was welcomed to a flushed Winter who was starting to look at him in concern.

"Can we do that again?" He asked without thinking.

She turned a dark red at that and sheepishly looked down at her lap. Would that make them something? She wasn't averse to it, she really liked Yugi just as much as she liked the spirit. She then thought about having a relationship between the two and felt bad. She didn't want to hurt either of them. She looked at the smiling Yugi and gave a soft smile before nodding her head.

Yugi grinned and moved forward. Sachiko investigated the room and held up a hand to stop Jounouchi. The grin on her face showed that she was ecstatic about something. He looked in under her arm to see his best friend kissing his sister. He was genuinely surprised it was Yugi and not Yami. He then thought about it and it made sense, Yugi was one of those faithful guys that girls wanted but he was small so most of them overlooked him. The two parted and he saw the happy smiles on their faces.

"We brought snacks," Sachiko stated, scaring the two.

Jounouchi saw a change in Yugi who moved in front of Winter. Jounouchi walked in with the tray and found a spot-on Winter's bed to place it as he sat down. Sachiko left with a grin on her face and the three of them heard a door slam. He was starting to wonder if the older woman was going to be making new designs.

"What'd I miss?" Jounouchi asked.

"Nothing," The two stated in unison as their faces turned red.

"Oh, I sent in a postcard to the show, get a million yen," Jounouchi informed them as he quickly turned the topic to something that wasn't going to push the two into their shyest shells, "If I get picked I'll be on tv and could win a million yen."

"Wait, Aunty actually agreed with you doing that?" Winter asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I had to clear with Jiji first," Jounouchi stated as he scratched his cheek, "He helped me write the entire thing and send it off, we chose the brightest postcard we could."

"You guys are ridiculous," Winter stated with a snort as she grabbed a cup of tea.

Yugi gave a small chuckle at the idea of a tv station getting an obnoxious postcard and finding out it was from a boy. He picked up a cup of tea as the conversation moved towards the tv show itself and how no one had ever won on it. Jounouchi was sure that he would be the first to win. Eventually Jounouchi left them to use the restroom and the two were left alone once again.

"Yami's wondering if you know about the way that some royalty had more than one wife," Yugi muttered with a blush on his face, "He knows a lot of information about Ancient Egypt and keeps telling me about it, it's pretty interesting but…much like the lewd videos that Jounouchi lets me borrow."

She blinked as he started rambling. He was nervous about something, like she'd shoot down what ever the spirit was proposing. It seemed like Yugi agreed or at least was willing to try what the spirit was talking about. It sounded like they wanted to try poly relationship. She was wondering if Yugi was even interested in the spirit that way.

"He wants to have a three-person relationship?" She asked, "Sounds like it'd be interesting."

"Yeah," Yugi nodded, "We share the same body, so it'll be simple, that's in his words."

He wasn't interested in the spirit that way, but he knew that they'd both be happy with this arrangement. They could both be with Winter and she could be with two of them. Well, it seemed like a win-win situation. He watched as she thought for a few minutes, her hair was falling into her face and she didn't seem bothered by it.

"I'm willing to try it out if you are," She stated with a small smile.

"Yeah," Yugi nodded and turned to his left.

She looked at his left as well and gave a small jump. Yami was sitting there with his legs crossed looking at the two of them. He gave a small smile and nodded his head. Winter couldn't help but think that it would've made an interesting thing to tell her mother. She could almost picture the look on her mom's face upon learning that she was in a relationship with two guys. One dead and the other living. She knew that one of those would've made the woman mad. It would have had to be the fact that one of them was a spirit. She had been a highly spiritual woman after all.

"Why don't we do something during summer vacation?" Yugi suggested, "Your leg should be healed up by then, right?"

"The break would have healed by then," Winter confirmed, "It sounds like it'll be fun."

Yugi grinned and Yami let out a soft chuckle at the two. They both turned towards him and he quickly headed back into the puzzle before they could rope him into anything. He was still trying to figure out how to work the television that Yugi enjoyed watching. He wanted to tryout some of the video games that Yugi had been thinking about playing against Winter.

Yugi watched as Winter put her empty teacup on the tray and sat back a little in her chair. She looked ready for some sleep. He looked towards the clock and noticed just how late it had gotten. He didn't want to worry his mom. He got up from the bed and stopped in front of Winter. She sat up slightly and he gave her a small smile. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips, and he headed out of the room with a happy smile on his face.

Winter laughed quietly at his reaction and gathered the items from the tea. The cast her arm was in was a pretty good table to hold things on. She had been surprised at that. She was hobbling out of her room when she bumped into Jounouchi. The blonde was smart enough not to try and take the tray from her but followed to make sure she wouldn't get hurt. Akira was sitting at the table with a newspaper and was reading quietly as dinner was being prepared in the kitchen. They were having a hot pot and Sachiko was a little bummed out that Yugi had headed home. She was hoping to have the smaller teen stay so she could interrogate him. Just to make sure he was a good fit for her niece.

Jounouchi felt as though they had just dodged a bullet, and it was a feeling that was shared by Winter as they cleaned up the teacups. It had been a strange feeling. It had not been an unwelcome one since they were able to share a look that made Sachiko frown at them. Akira couldn't help but laugh at the three as he turned the page of his newspaper. He really enjoyed a lively house, and judging how Yugi looked when he left. He was going to have great grandchildren and be able to spoil them before he finally passed away. It also gave him some kind of teasing material on Winter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Here we go, some answers and replies to the review's you lovelies have left me!**

 **Queen of Stars: Thank you, I too adore the pair of Winter and Yami, but I also adore the idea of her with Yugi.**

 **Night Magician: I appreciate the review and the suggestion, but when I got it I was putting on the final touches to the last chapter and didn't see it until I was uploading it, I might do that with another fanfiction if you really want.**

 **Scarlet Rose White: Thank you, you were one of the main reasons why I chose to have it be a three-way relationship and I welcome the challenge of writing it. I really appreciate the review.**

 **Apocalypsebutterfly: You got your wish.**

 **Moonshadowcat: I might use that for my newer fanfiction, since I have an idea of where I want this to go. I love the suggestion!**

 **For those of you looking for a darker take on Yugioh, try my new fanfiction** _ **An Amber Bell Tree**_ **. I'm going to be focusing on that one for a while. I also think this chapter is going to be a short one, sorry about that.**

 **I started watching the original Japanese dub of duel monster and I am so happy that Kaiba and Pegasus have always been extra even in sub. Also loving the voices compared to some of the English dub ones. Still got that nostalgia for the dub.**

* * *

Chapter 9 _The Terror of Thirteen!?_

* * *

Winter stared up at the sky as she and Yugi walked hand in hand towards their destination. Summer vacation was upon them and, after the fiasco of Jounouchi winning a tv game show yet the money being invalid due to the station going bankrupt, they needed some relaxation time. Yugi looked up towards her face and noticed the small smile tugging at her lips as she looked at the clear sky. It was a nice day, a little warm but overall nice.

"Have you heard about the card bomber?" He asked.

"Yeah, Jiji was complaining about him this morning," Winter nodded, "It's a lot like that criminal fiasco all over again, but this guy plays cards as a warning."

"It reminds me of a shadow game," Yami muttered as he walked next to her in his spirit form.

The two of them gave a nod of agreement and he looked around the street to see the scenery. It was nice not having to stay in the puzzle, after all only those with a millennium item could see him. At least, he hoped that was the case. He looked at the destination that his host and Winter were going and noted that it was a water park. He couldn't blame them since the first two weeks of summer vacation had Winter stuck in her casts. She had healed faster than the Doctors thought possible and she was now able to enjoy her summer with her boyfriends.

He didn't have the heart to tell her that the key helped speed along her healing. Just like the puzzle helped to heal up Yugi in a short amount of time. They walked up towards the ticket counter and the woman behind it gave them a strange look. A short boy standing next to a giant of a woman was a sight to behold, then again, the boy did stand up to her midriff. She raised her brows when he handed over their tickets.

"Oh, this is a ticket for senior high schoolers, do you not need an elementary schooler ticket?" She kindly asked.

"Despite my size I am a high schooler," Yugi defended as he brought out his student ID.

"Please forgive me," The woman stated as she flushed in embarrassment.

"It's all right," Yugi smiled, "It happens far more often than you'd think."

They walked into the park and were welcomed to the sight of children walking with their parents as they headed towards the different attractions. It was different compared to the way that an American amusement park ran. She remembered how crazy it had been when she had first visited Disney Land. The amount of times she had been jostled about the park had been many. She was glad that it wasn't going to be that way in the park.

"Which ride should we go on first?" Yugi questioned.

"There's so many," She muttered as she rubbed the back of her head in thought, "Well, we have a few hours until it'll start to cool off a bit, why don't we try the water rides first?"

"Yeah," Yugi quickly agreed.

Winter couldn't help but laugh as they rented a small locker for the day and put their things in it. They broke away from each other and changed into their swimsuits. Winter was taking a while since she had to put some sunscreen all over her skin. She would burn if she didn't. She didn't need anymore burns in her life. She felt bad since Yugi was stuck waiting for her.

"Oh, my Ra," Yami stated as she walked out of the women's changing area.

Yugi looked towards their girlfriend and agreed with the spirit. She was wearing a cute one piece that really drew attention to her legs. It had to be something that was made with her in mind. A black and red sailor fuku style swimsuit. It sounded and looked like something that Sachiko would make. She came to a stop in front of the two and gave a small smile.

The two spent quite a bit of time with the water rides, which mainly consisted of water slides and a pool. It was lunch time and they were sitting at a table with an umbrella attached to it so that they could get a small break from the relentless sun. They had changed back into their regular clothing. Yugi finally understood why Winter had chosen to wear a dress, seeing as it was probably easier to change in and out of.

"Ah, please excuse me for a few seconds" Yugi stated as he got up to use the restroom.

"Take your time," Winter informed him with a grin.

He headed towards the nearest restroom. Winter looked down towards the key around her neck and picked it up in her hand. It was warm to the touch, whether it be from the sun or it's magic she didn't know, and it heated up even more when someone walked up to her table. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up at the sight of a white-haired boy standing to her left. There was something ominous about him.

"Can…Can I help you?" She asked with a small frown.

"Ah, I'm sorry," The boy apologized in a soft tone, "Did I do something just now?"

"No, you're fine," She informed him before noticing Yugi turning the corner and relaxing slightly.

Yami requested a switch and Yugi happily changed with the spirit. He wasn't the best at confronting people and Yami could scare just about anyone. He walked up to Winter and shot the white-haired boy a look. The boy in question was confused by the sudden hostility before it dawned on him. He had intruded on a date. He turned a bright red and gave a quick apology before quickly walking away. It had been a strange occurrence and the two shared a look.

They went back to walking around the entire park. It was a peaceful day until they noticed the group of police officers heading into the park. Yami sighed at the sight and Yugi let out a murmur of disbelief. How did trouble seem to find them? It was happening so often that he was starting to worry that it was brought upon by his puzzle. He shook his head at that and realized that he was getting into trouble way before he finished that puzzle.

Winter stared at the police with a small frown on her face. They looked panicked and were looking around the area for something. She narrowed her eyes, or someone. This would be the second time in a row that she had ran into a criminal since moving to Domino City. It was starting to get just a little bit ridiculous at this point.

They turned away from the police group and headed towards one of the gaming booths. Winter couldn't help but laugh as both boys attempted to win something from the carnival style booth. Yami was getting a bit frustrated and Yugi was understanding of how a carnival game worked. Yami tossed a dart harder than he meant to on the balloon wall game and he got two balloons with it. The worker decided that it was a fair shot and gave him the two points. The last two remaining darts hit balloons and he looked towards Winter in a way to tell her to choose what she wanted. She looked at the giant plushes of duel monster and was torn between the Dark Magician and Kuriboh.

"Ah, the Kuriboh," She pointed at the round monster.

It was handed to her and she held it close to her. Kuriboh was an adorable monster and she couldn't help but want to hug it close. She had a feeling that it was one of those monsters that were super sweet. She blinked at that in confusion. Where had that come from? A hand grabbed onto her's and she was brought out of her thoughts but a slightly worried Yugi.

"Where to next?" Winter asked Yugi.

He was about to answer when he noticed something. Winter blinked and turned to see what he had saw. Anzu and Jounouchi were walking around the booths as well. Anzu was holding a golden teddy bear to her chest and was talking to Jounouchi. They couldn't tell if the two were on a date or not. Jounouchi looked up and met Winter's eyes. She gave him a small wink and smile. He grinned in response and gently took a hold on Anzu's hand to show her a food booth.

"That's something I hadn't been expecting," Yugi muttered in deep thought.

"He respects her a lot," Winter admitted, "It was actually really sweet."

He chuckled at that as he intertwined their fingers together. They walked around a bit more and he could see that Winter was beginning to turn red from the amount of sun she had been getting. He hadn't seen someone get a sunburn that bad before. He then remembered that she was only half Japanese, and half white.

When she excused herself to use the restroom, he was stuck holding the Kuriboh. He looked at the large plush and noted the large violet eyes that looked at him. No wonder she had chose this one. It had eyes like him. He felt very flattered.

Winter was coming out of the bathroom and bumped into Anzu. The brunette seemed surprised to see her there and gave a small smile. She looked like she was on a date, just like her. She had been surprised when Jounouchi had asked her on a date and had accepted out of curiosity. He was treating her like a true gentleman, and she was loving the entire thing.

"Have you been on the Ferris wheel yet?" She asked.

"No, but I was planning on going to that one last," winter stated as she tilted her head.

"Let's go on together and give the boys a small scare?" Anzu stated with a small wink.

Winter sighed and they headed towards the Ferris Wheel. They got into one of the gondolas and watched the park grow smaller as they got higher in the third gondola. The gondola stopped and they looked at each other in confusion. Something felt wrong.

"Attention all amusement park guest, the police have informed us that a dangerous object has been brought into the park," An announcement rang out, "We are sorry, but we must request that everyone leave the park under the direction of the nearest policeman."

"I'm sorry," Anzu apologized as they looked out the window.

"You didn't know," Winter stated as she gently placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder, "The only thing we can do is wait for the boys to help."

"I don't know how much help Jounouchi will be," Anzu muttered.

"Katsuya will do anything to protect those he cares about," Winter reminded her.

"Winter! Anzu where are you!?" Yugi's voice rang out with Jounouchi's.

"We're up here!" Winter shouted and Yugi looked up in horror.

The two girls were stuck in the third gondola of the Ferris wheel. His violet eyes met gold and he could see fear within them. Yami was in as much fear as he was of something happening to their girlfriend or, in Yami's term, lover. He didn't like feeling as though something bad was going to happen to her.

"Our girlfriends are in one of the gondolas," Yugi told the detective that had walked up to the Ferris wheel, "What's wrong?"

"That Ferris Wheel is rigged with explosives," The man replied.'

"Damn it!" Jounouchi cursed, "Leave it to them to find trouble."

"Yeah, I have a deck of cards," The detective stated as he held a mobile phone up to his ear.

Yugi couldn't hear what was being said, but he watched the way the man's emotions played across his face. Confusion and fear were there. His eyes looked towards the cards and the man frowned. Yugi switched with Yami and the spirit was confused. Yugi was good at card games as well, but he felt as though he didn't want to mess up and accidentally hurt the girls.

"Is anyone here, good at card games?" The Detective asked.

"I am!" Yami announced.

"Both you and Yugi can do this," Jounouchi stated, "Good luck."

"Hand over the deck and phone," Yami ordered the detective who was confused at the changed in the boy but handed over the phone anyway, "So, what game are we going to play?"

"They put the lives of these people in the hands of a brat. No matter," The criminal stated, "The game we're going to play is cock solitaire."

He listened to the instructions that the criminal was giving him, and he distributed the cards into the twelve piles that the criminal was demanding. It was arranged like a clock and he placed the thirteenth and final pile in the middle of the clock. The game started and he turned the top card on the center pile.

"The first card is a three of spades, I'll put that under the pile at three o'clock, next I turn over the top card at three o'clock, a four of hearts go under the four o'clock pile and repeat," Yami stated, "As the game progresses, I'll eventually end up with a pile of four matching cards a point on the clock will be revealed."

Yami moved the cards and found another four. He knew that he was going to end up with four fours. He didn't know what would happen if he ended up with all the matches. If he assembled them what would happen? His eyes looked up towards the third gondola and he frowned. Winter was messing with something in the gondola and Anzu was pressed up against the furthest window. Just what was she doing?

"Why do you have to mess with it?" Anzu questioned Winter as the teen opened the bomb that she had found under their seat.

"It's a simple two corded bomb, it's powerful, but it's really easy to disarm," Winter stated, "Helps that I used to actually talk to my father, I guess he was good for something after all."

She took out a small pair of wire cutters and looked at the way the wires were. One was blue and the other was red. She needed to find the one that was attached to the detonation sequence. The blue one was attached to that and she clipped it. The bomb let out a quiet beep and powered down. It was a very simple bomb and had a simple disarming system.

"Now, let's say we get out of here," Winter grinned, "With us out of danger Yami could think far more clearly."

"Right," Anzu nodded as Winter used the wire cutters to force the gondola doors open.

She watched as the tall teen climbed out of the gondola and started to move across the metal beams that made up the circle. She decided that she was safe enough in the gondola and didn't really have the upper body strength to do the same. She watched as Winter got to safety and gave the brunette a nod. She headed towards the group.

"How'd you get out?" The Detective asked.

"I disarmed the bomb in gondola three, so Anzu is safe up there," She immediately stated, "But I couldn't get to the other gondolas without some climbing gear and we don't have the time for that."

Yami let out a breath of relief and continued to play the game. The gondola's that were blown up were empty, and he was okay with that as he tried to get all the kings out to stop the game. He didn't have much time left and there was a child in one of the gondolas. He quickly drew his next card and got another king.

"I have all the kings, this game is over," He announced.

The gondolas began to move and Yami was surprised when his face was grabbed, and he got kissed on the lips. He felt his cheeks heat up as Winter pulled back and gave him a sweet smile. Yugi let out a cheer that everything had ended up working out. He turned to see Anzu running to Jounouchi and the blonde held her close. It was a sweet moment between an unlikely couple.

"Oh, detective, you might want to investigate the passenger in gondola thirteen, it didn't explode when I assembled the corresponding cards, he could also see my cards and set off the bombs accordingly," Yami stated as a police officer handed the Kuriboh plush to Winter.

"Right," The detective stated with a curt nod of his head.

The police moved towards the Ferris wheel and the two couples decided to leave the amusement park. They could have their dates somewhere else that wouldn't bring them any kind of stress. Yami switched with Yugi and the small teen looked at Winter in relief and slight awe. He hadn't known that she could disarm a bomb.

He decided to walk her home and they waved to Jounouchi and Anzu. Those two were planning to go to an arcade and play some DDR together. Yugi watched as Winter gave a small yawn and stretched slightly. She looked tired and when he held onto her hands, he could feel some blisters forming on her hands.

He just hoped that their next date wouldn't end up like this.


	10. Chapter 10

**My cat over groomed her leg due to stress about me and my mom leaving for vacation. Good news is my dad will be at home to look after her and it'll grow back if that is what caused it. I hope she does okay.**

 **Nightmagician: thank you for being so understanding! I'll be sure to keep flare in mind, maybe an AU version of this story?**

 **Queen of Stars: Thank you for the review! I had fun writing the amusement park chapter, even if it came out pretty short, and I've always liked the idea of Jounouchi and Anzu together they somehow work and you can get some really sweet interactions between the two. You'll get to see more of my other fan fiction pretty soon. I think I have the next chapter in the works and it's just about ready to be published.**

* * *

Chapter 10 _The Evil Dragon Cards_

* * *

Yugi smiled as the group entered the game shop. His Grandfather had a game he wanted to show them, and he was excited to see what it was. He looked up towards his girlfriend, he was still giddy about that and couldn't help but be amused by how people at school wondered how he even got a girlfriend, and she gave him a happy smile. His Grandfather had almost thrown a party upon learning that he had finally asked her out.

"What kind of game do you think that he's going to show us?" Jounouchi asked as he scratched the back of his head.

"I want to show you an extremely rare game," Yugi's Grandfather stated, "It's a bullfrog game from Ancient Egypt, two players would commence a race with their points."

They all looked at the wood reconstruction of the game and Jounouchi picked it up with care. Anzu looked over his shoulder and blinked at how cute it was. It was shaped like a bullfrog and she couldn't help but smile at it as Jounouchi moved a piece. He couldn't believe how old games were.

"Seems as though people have been playing games for a really long time," Jounouchi stated in thought.

"The history of games goes back in time as far as five thousand years, so far," Grandpa stated.

"It's hard to tell if early humanoids created games or not since there is nothing left of them besides the cave paintings," Winter stated in thought.

A bell rang and Grandpa gave a cheerful greeting to whoever had walked in. Yugi turned and noted that it was a classmate. The boy had wild orange hair and wide dark eyes. He had never hung out with him before, but he knew that it could be a good chance to become friends with the boy.

"Hey, Yugi," The boy greeted.

"Hi, Imori," Yugi greeted back.

"Do you know him Yugi?" Grandpa asked.

"Yeah, he's one of our classmates," Yugi nodded.

"I came here because I heard your family owned a game store," Imori stated as he shyly looked down towards the package in his hands, "And I have something I want to show you."

He set it down on the counter and Grandpa had an immediate reaction. It took Winter a few minutes to recognize the game and she placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder when he went to touch it. The look on her face caused him some worry as she stared at it with some sweat going down her face. That game had seals all over it for a reason.

"How weird," Jounouchi stated, "It's an urn with a box tied onto it, what kind of game is it?"

"My Ji-Chan brought it over from china after the war was over, he also collected games and I found this a couple of days ago in his basement," Imori explained, "I was hoping your Jiji would know what it is."

"It really doesn't look like a game," Yugi stated as Yami came out of the puzzle and moved around it in curiosity.

"No one open it," Grandpa and Winter stated in unison.

Everyone jumped in surprise and the two shared a look. He hadn't expected her to know what kind of game it was. He knew her understanding of Kanji was still growing, but she still recognized seals. Then it connected that she lived with her Grandfather who looked over a graveyard and as such had a small shrine on the land.

"I'm sorry for yelling, but these seals should never be broken," He warned, "These are the dragon cards, an ancient Chinese game, I've heard of them but have never set my own eyes upon them."

"They have an interesting backstory attached to it," Winter stated as she tilted her head in thought.

"They used to be used as a final test for Feng-Shui masters," He nodded, at the other's confused expressions he decided to elaborate, "Feng-Shui is an art that makes use of the energy that comes from the surrounding environment, it has been practiced for more than four thousand years since the first emperors of China."

"But, why would they be sealed away?" Anzu asked in confusion.

"It's the Chinese philosophy of the Onmyondo that says everything is a part of the balance between yin and yang," He explained, "The Dragon cards are a part of yang and everything around the cards are yin and are in peace. If you remove the seal the two will come into conflict and there's no telling what could happen."

"It's always nice to see when your fear of the occult kicks in, Katsuya-nii," Winter teased the blonde who looked scared.

"Shut up," Jounouchi stated with a pout.

Anzu chuckled quietly and placed a hand on his arm. She was getting more and more curious about what the game looked like. She didn't want to worry Jounouchi even more. Surprisingly she had found that she really liked him. He had been extremely sweet on their date.

"I'm pretty curious," Anzu stated and he turned towards her with a look of disbelief.

"I wonder what kind of game it is," Yugi muttered and Yami nodded in agreement.

"Please don't force the world into chaos," Winter quietly stated in amusement.

Imori left after that and the four got together and decided to study. They had the number one student in the room with them and they kept bringing it up. She was getting flustered by all the attention and ended up hiding her face in Yugi's shoulder. Yugi was happy and Anzu couldn't help but laugh at how flustered they were. It seemed like a perfect match.

A few days passed and Physical Education ended up being swimming. Anzu sent Jounouchi a warning look and he gave her a small peck on the cheek. He wasn't going to be looking at any girls anytime soon. He liked her too much to do so.

Anzu and Winter ended up having a competition between the two to see who could swim to one end of the pool and back the fastest. The two boys decided to keep time and watched as their girls moved through the water. Anzu was a graceful swimmer whereas Winter had more power behind hers. They tied and the two laughed together as they climbed out.

"You really can't have summer without swimming," Jounouchi stated as the teacher blew a whistle to let everyone know that class was over.

The group went their separate ways to change. Yugi was the first one out and headed towards a classroom. Winter walked out and looked around for him in worry. Something was wrong.

She felt something hit her stomach and she doubled over in pain. She was right outside class 1-C and she looked towards the door. Whatever was wrong was inside there. Her key was heating up under her polo shirt and it floated through the material. She let out a small gasp when it dragged her into the room. Her eyes widened in horror at what she saw.

"Yugi!" She shouted in worry.

Imori looked up from the small teens body. His dark eyes settled on her figure as she rushed towards Yugi. As soon as she made it she knelt down next to the chair. A gold eye began to glow on her forehead as she pulled up a chair with a murderous glare on her face.

He was coming. Imori didn't seem to notice that Yugi had grabbed onto the puzzle. She closed her eyes and searched for her boyfriends soul. She opened them and looked towards the urn. He was stuck in there?

"Imori, this time I'm betting my other soul," Yami stated as he straightened up, "A moment later and he'd have been lost."

"You can do it," Winter informed him with a small smile, "Kick his ass."

"Of course, Hime," Yami nodded.

"So, I need to beat the other Yugi to become the Shepard of darkness," Imori murmured before speaking up, "Fine! We'll have another match!"

Yami looked towards the urn with slight worry. He didn't know if he'd be able to win. If Yugi couldn't win then his own chances were slim. His eyes slid towards Winter and he noted that her eyes were glued on the urn and she looked worried. She was beginning to bite her lip in thought and he could see the breaking skin.

"Worried?" Imori asked, getting his attention, "It takes three months for the soul to be completely devoured, if you somehow win against me you'll get your soul back."

That hung in the air as the game was set up once more. Winter sat close enough where she could see, but far enough away where she wouldn't be hurt. Her hand found its way towards the key and she gripped it. There was something else that hung in the air and it was causing her to feel cold. It was a chill that seemed to permeate through her bones.

"Game start, remember six cards," Imori told Yami.

They drew the six cards. Winter began to shiver as the cold washed over her legs. She could see her breath and she didn't know why it was so cold. She looked towards the two boys and noticed that they seemed fine.

The more cards they discarded to get their dragons the colder she felt. She wrapped her arms around her and clenched her jaw to stop her teeth from chattering. She didn't want to be a distraction to Yami and cost him the game. She didn't want to lose either of them. She looked towards the urn and a serious expression fixed itself on her face. She'd have wagered her own soul to get them back.

"All right, I summon my dragon," Imori stared with a wide grin as Yami placed a card down.

"What?" Yami questioned.

"You can use the cards an opponent discarded, its why it's a bad idea to discard a high level card," Imori stated as he placed his dragons down, "Now I can summon two of them."

"I too can summon two dragons," Yami stated.

As soon as the magic in the cards activated, Winter felt as though the wind was knocked out of her. She was finding it hard to breath and she brought a hand up to her chest. It didn't help that it felt like she had taken a dip in a frozen pond. It was like the time she had fallen into a frozen lake while ice skating.

"I summon a level five Water dragon and a level five Wood dragon," Imori announced.

"I have a level four Earth dragon and a level five Metal dragon," Yami stated.

The two eyed each other for a few minutes. Imori looked behind him to see what Winter was doing and almost smirked. It was dangerous for observers in this game. If they weren't careful their souls could be lost as well. She seemed to feel his eyes and looked up to give him a defiant look. That gold eye on her forehead growing brighter.

"Battle," Imori and Yami ordered at the same time.

"I can't believe you used a Metal dragon once again, don't you remember what happened with my Water dragon?" Imori asked in a baby-like voice, "Now my Water dragon will flush away that feeble Metal dragon!"

Yami smirked at that as water traveled towards his Metal dragon. Winter looked towards him in slight alarm before relaxing. He hadn't really lost a game yet. She had faith that he'd win it. A voice began to whisper in her ear and asked her if she really.

After all, he couldn't protect her back at Death-T.

Her eyes grew wide at that and she attempted to block out the voice by thinking about her boys. She needed happier memories and she pushed all of them to the front of her mind. She couldn't help but wonder why she had so many with Yugi. She…she wanted him back. She didn't want to lose another person that she loved.

"That will only work once," Yami stated, slightly oblivious to his girlfriends predicament, "Earth dragon."

The Earth dragon dug it's legs into the ground and the room began to shake. The two players were able to keep their balance, but Winter hit the floor. Yami spared her a glance and she quickly sent him a look to keep playing. He immediately turned his attention to the game, but worry was slowly growing as she stayed down.

"The Earth dragon has protected the Metal dragon by breaking the ground beneath them," Yami stated, "The earth element protects the metal element and makes it stronger, as long as I have the Earth dragon your Water dragon will be useless."

"What do you think of this then!?" Imori asked, "the Wood dragon is getting bigger and bigger from being strengthened by the Water dragon, now it'll attack your Earth dragon!"

Wood tentacles flew through the air and slammed into the Earth dragon. Winter curled up on the ground as a pain went through her back in the same places where the wood went through the Earth dragon. Her eyes widened as she figured out what was going on. She was a neutral party. She had powers of darkness due to the key but was ultimately a lighter soul. She was spiritually balanced, and the fact that the game needed balance to be sealed was causing it to latch onto her.

She was feeling the pain of the dragons. She couldn't help it, her heart went out to them. It wasn't a kind way to test a soul. She knew that the world wasn't kind, and even thousands of years ago that shone true even more.

She couldn't help but want to cuddle with Yugi and watch a movie together. It was Saturday and they didn't have school tomorrow. She was distracting herself and she knew it. It was the only things she could do at the moment.

"Wood gets their water from the Earth so my dragon will eventually devour your and it'll crumble to dust," Imori informed the spirit.

Yami inwardly cursed at that. He couldn't let that happen. If he lost he knew that Winter would play for both of their souls. He would never let that happen. He had to win.

"Now your Metal dragon is open to my Water dragons attack!" Imori cackled, "Now!"

The Water dragon sped forward and slammed into the Metal dragon. It hit it right in the legs and Winter winced as her legs began to throb in pain. It wasn't as bad as the bloody wood digging into her back. She looked towards the dragon and noted that it hadn't been destroyed. She didn't want to know what that would feel like.

"Metal dragon!" Yami ordered.

The sound of metal against metal went through the air as the dragon unfolded its wings. It flapped it's wings and took off into the air and Winter couldn't help but akin it to the sound of wobbling sheet metal. The dragon then moved full force towards the Wood dragon. It was an impressive move.

"Water dragon!" Imori ordered.

"Yes, the Wood dragon is destroyed!" Yami exclaimed.

Winter was relieved when the pain of wood digging into her back was gone. It was then replaced by a cold that was incomparable to anything she had felt before. Her heart was thumping in her chest and she felt something dribble out of her mouth. She looked down as it hit the floor and her eyes widened. She was bleeding.

She let out a cough and more blood came up. She looked towards Yami as he eyed the remains of the Metal dragon. He needed to end the game. She really hoped it would be soon before she really got hurt.

"The Earth dragon is revived, now it attacks!" Yami informed Imori.

The ground shook once more and Imori let out a screech as his last dragon was swallowed by the large crevices that the earthquake left behind. Yami could feel Yugi's soul move within the urn and he glared at the orange haired boy in front of him. The boy was a coward and deserved all that was coming to him. He stood up from his chair.

"The penalty game is that your soul will be offered," Yami informed the boy.

Imori's soul flew out of his mouth and moved towards the urn. Yugi's flew out of it at a breakneck speed before connecting with his body. Yami sighed in relief and turned to smile at Winter. His crimson eyes widened at what he saw. She was bruised and bleeding.

"What happened?" He asked as she slowly stood up, shivering the entire time.

"Apparently, the game is dangerous to observers," She muttered, "I could feel everything that happened to your dragons."

She moved forward and placed the game into its box and tied it shut. She then quickly cleaned up the mess her blood made, Yami was worried, but gave charge back to Yugi. He knew how to comfort someone better than he did. Yugi looked at her in worry before walking towards her and giving her a hug.

She bent over and hugged him back. His eyes widened at how tightly she was holding him. He tightened his own hold as he figured out why. He hadn't meant to scare her. He didn't want to put her in any pain.

"Want to watch a movie?" He asked and she gave a small chuckle.

"I was thinking of asking you that," She admitted as they put some distance between them.

He couldn't help but enjoy the smile that played on her face. It was playful and tired at the same time. She gave him a small peck on the lips and he was elated at that. He couldn't help but love doing that.

"We should probably get out of the classroom," Winter stated as she looked towards the empty husk that was Imori.

"Yeah," Yugi nodded and they walked out hand in hand, Winter carrying the game.

"What kind of movie should we watch?" She asked with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Ah, what about _My Neighbor Totoro_?" Yugi suggested.

"A man after my heart right there," Winter stated with a grin.

Yugi smiled back at that as they headed into class. Jounouchi and Anzu had been waiting for them and looked worried upon seeing the game in Winters hand. They quickly explained everything and Jounouchi looked ready to give Imori his soul back and beat the boy to a pulp. A gentle hand to his arm from Anzu caused him to calm down.

The teacher came in and they headed to their seats. Yugi took his notes as per usual and noticed that Winter was finally joining him on that. The class had finally began teaching something she didn't already know so she was happily taking notes. If a small dark magician girl found itself into the margin of her notes, who was she to complain.

School ended and the group split up. Jounouchi was going to walk Anzu home and Yugi was going to walk Winter home so they could watch their movie. The walk was pleasant and they were giddy to watch their movie. They were going to use the TV in her room so they could avoid Sachiko.

Yugi didn't really want to be interrogated by the older woman while trying to cuddle with his girlfriend. He then made a face upon remembering the jacket he had been given from her. He could put up with questions due to such a nice gift. Just not at such an important moment.

They easily made it to the house and entered. Winter made some stovetop popcorn as he made some tea. He had been around enough that he could find the teacups and tea. As they made their food they seemed to have missed Akira. He was giving the two youngsters a small smile. It was like him and his wife all over again. She had been taller than him as well.

He found that he enjoyed being the small spoon. There was far more warmth involved. He gently turned his wedding ring and smiled. If it came down to it, he'd give the ring he proposed with to Yugi. It's what his wife would've wanted.

He could hear the sound of a movie playing and got up from the dinning room table. He quietly headed up the stairs and peeked into the room. They were snuggled up together under a light blanket and had the popcorn between them as they watched their movie. He smiled before noticing something.

He could've sworn that he had saw another Yugi on her right side. He shook his head of such a notion before walking away from the room. He was prepared to call Hana if the boy fell asleep. He didn't have the heart to part them.

That boy brought out smiles from his granddaughter that he hadn't seen since before the incident. They were good for each other and he approved. Both of his grandchildren, honestly Jounouchi was become his grandchild the moment he stepped into the house, had found wonderful people. That Anzu was a real firecracker, but a sweet girl.

Jounouchi came home with a grin on his face and Akira chuckled at that as the teen headed up the stairs. The blonde hair was sticking up in several directions and it wasn't hard to tell what had happened. He turned to the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea. As the water was boiling he went to check up on the two watching their movie.

Yugi noticed him this time and waved from his spot on the bed. The boy was playing with her fingers as she slept. Of course she had fallen asleep due to everything that happened. In all honesty she hadn't expected Yugi to generate as much heat as he did. The boy was like a human space heater.

"Will you able to get free? I don't mind calling Hana-Chan and letting her know that your spending the night," Akira stated.

"Ah, Thank you, Akahoshi-San," Yugi thanked with a relieved tone in his voice.

He was being held by a pretty girl. He wasn't going to leave any time soon. Even as she shifted in her sleep and buried her face into his hair, to the amusement of a spirit who was enjoying the movie and the flustered state of Yugi. Akira nodded and headed back down the stairs to give the Mutou matriarch a call.

Yugi looked towards Winter and noticed the bruising that covered her arms. They were light in color but he knew that those came from the death of the Metal dragon. He turned so that he could still see the movie but have a hold of her. He almost lost his soul and his girlfriend in less than an hour.

He found himself not wanting to think about it and gently pressed his lips to the side of her neck. She gave a quiet moan and his cheeks grew warm. Yami looked towards the two of them in surprise and raised a brow. They both made the mental note that she was sensitive on the neck.

How interesting.


End file.
